A Superstar in need is a Superstar indeed. Bangladesh today received a tremendous boost ahead of the do-or-die encounter against Sri Lanka in the Nidahas Trophy Tri-nation tournament as their ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is expected to join the squad in Colombo today. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will play the last group match of the Nidahas Trophy tomorrow.
Shakib Al Hasan, who is number one All-rounder in Tests and ODIs, and number two All-rounder in T20Is according to the ICC Rankings, was out of the side since 27th January due to an injury to his left hand’s little finger.
The injury sidelined Bangladesh’s most celebrated cricketer. Shakib could not take part in the Test series and the T20I series against Sri Lanka that followed the ODI Tri-series final where he got injured. The all-rounder missed out on the first three matches of the ongoing Nidahas Trophy also.
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Today in a media release, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced Shakib Al Hasan’s addition to the squad in Colombo. They announced that Shakib has recovered from the injury and he is expected to join the team in Colombo today (Thursday) afternoon.
Bangladesh will welcome this development with the belief of repeating their last match heroics against Sri Lanka. The 17-run loss incurred against India yesterday leaves Bangladesh with no option but to defeat Sri Lanka tomorrow to enter the Tri-series final.
In desperate circumstances, Shakib Al Hasan’s joining will comfort the Bangladeshi dressing room. He is the highest wicket-taker for Bangladesh in the T20Is and also the only bowler to take more than 50 wickets. He is also second on the list of most T20I runs for Bangladesh and apart from Tamim, the only batsman to score 1000 career runs.
The return to the team will also mean the return of captaincy stature for Shakib Al Hasan. Mahmudullah Riyadh, another all-rounder, is currently at the helm of the Bangladesh cricket team.
