Shakib struggles with sweep shots on return from injury
After playing two or four shots, he called up the bowlers and asked them to bowl on the off stump so that he doesn’t have to play sweep.
The Tigers' practice was originally scheduled for 1:45 pm. All the cricketers started entering the field on time. The journalists were looking for Shakib Al Hasan. But he was nowhere to be seen, just yet.
The clock struck 2 when Shakib entered the field all padded up. This was the first time the southpaw returned to practice since he suffered a groin injury during the third ODI against Windies.
Shakib's groin injury was something to worry about. He was kept under observation for 72 hours before the scan and his report came positive. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) doctors gave Shakib permission to return to the field on Friday. The next day, he returned and practiced for about an hour.
He didn't start practicing right away. He had some discussions with team physio Julian Calfato. Shakib stretched for a while, felt right, and returned to the field.
Shakib initially played the net bowlers. He felt slight discomfort while playing the sweep shots. He tried a few times but gave up. After playing two or four shots, he called up the bowlers and asked them to bowl on the off stump so that he doesn't have to play sweep.
He got a clear idea about his condition. He didn't bat for more than an hour. He then called up Taskin Ahmed and played for a while with the old ball till around 2:45 pm.
Shakib then went to the center wicket to practice in a match scenario after consulting with batting consultant John Lewis. When Shakib started batting, there were not many cricketers around.
He batted for ten minutes against Ebadat Hossain and the net bowlers before stopping at 2:55. Later, the country's best all-rounder left the field after informing Julian Calfato about his injury condition.