Will injury-hit Shakib Al Hasan play against India? Details here
Bangladesh will face India in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup on October 19 at the MCA Stadium in Pune. However, the primary concern among the Bangladeshi fans is captain Shakib Al Hasan's availability. The star all-rounder sustained a left quad injury in their previous match against NZ. But Shakib is feeling well and is all set to feature in this crucial clash.
Why does this story matter?
Bangladesh started their 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup campaign with a big win over Afghanistan. But their journey has been derailed with two consecutive defeats against England and NZ. Against India, things will only get tougher as the hosts are on the top of the table with three wins. So things will get difficult for Bangladesh if Shakib misses out due to injury.
Shakib is getting better: Team director Khaled Mahmud
"Shakib is getting better," Bangladesh team director Khaled Mahmud told ESPNcricinfo. "But we will know the full scenario when he hits the nets tomorrow. He will also do some running. We are hopeful that he can play against India. He had a swimming and gym session today. There will be a scan tomorrow which will give us a clearer picture of his situation."
Shakib is Bangladesh's highest run-getter in ODI World Cups
Shakib has a great record in the ODI World Cup as he has raced past 1,201 runs from 32 matches at an average of 42.89. He has tallied 10 fifties and two centuries. Overall, he is the sixth-highest run-scorer in the competition. He is only behind, Sachin Tendulkar (2,278), Ricky Ponting (1,743), Kumar Sangakkara (1,532), Brian Lara (1,225), and AB de Villiers (1,207).
Shakib is Bangladesh's leading wicket-taker as well
The star all-rounder has returned with 39 wickets from 32 ODI World Cup matches. He is Bangladesh's most successful bowler in the competition. Shakib averages 34.82 and also owns a WC fifer. The spinner's best WC bowling figures of 5/29 came against Afghanistan in the 2019 WC. Notably, he is the only player with 1,000-plus runs and 30-plus wickets in the ODI World Cup.
A look at Shakib's ODI numbers against India
Shakib has a terrific ODI record against India. He has amassed 751 runs across 22 ODIs at an average of 37.55. He has hammered nine fifties against them. Shakib is Bangladesh's highest run-getter in ODIs against India. Mushfiqur Rahim holds second position in this regard with 665 runs. He has scalped 29 ODI wickets against them, again the highest among Bangladesh bowlers in ODIs.
A look at his ODI numbers
Shakib is Bangladesh's third-highest run-scorer in ODIs with 7,439 runs in 243 ODIs at 37.38. He is only behind Tamim Iqbal (8,357) and Mushfiqur (7,525) in terms of ODI runs. The left-arm spinner is Bangladesh's highest-wicket taker in ODI cricket with 313 scalps at 29.28. He owns an economy rate of 4.44 while scalping four fifers in this format (10 four-wicket hauls).
Shakib is in this elite list of all-rounders (ODIs)
Shakib is one of the three all-rounders with 7,000-plus runs and 300-plus wickets in ODI cricket. Pakistan's Shahid Afridi (8,064 runs and 395 wickets) and Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya (13,430 runs and 323 wickets) are the only all-rounders with at least 300 wickets and 7,000-plus runs in ODIs. Shakib's batting (37-plus) and bowling (29-plus) averages are the best among the three.
