Tigers’ assistant coach Pothas on Shakib: ‘We want him happy’

After a crushing defeat in the first Test against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh received a much-needed boost in the form of the return of ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan. The second Test against the Lankans will be Shakib's first international appearance since being a lawmaker and the southpaw will be keen to be back with a bang.

Shakib likes playing against Sri Lanka with both his last Test hundred and five-wicket haul coming against them. The all-rounder, though, has walked into a new set-up with Najmul Hossain Shanto taking over as captain and two new coaches joining Bangladesh's backroom staff. 

Head coach Chandika Hathurusingha won't be part of the second Test after flying back to Australia for personal reasons and assistant coach Nic Pothas will be in charge of the team.

In the pre-match press conference, Pothas said it's a great thing to have Shakib back in the squad.

"I think any team that has Shakib in it is very fortunate. We welcome him back. It is always great to have him in the change room. His energy is very infectious. He has a lot of experience for the guys to learn from and whenever Shakib is back, he's a giver. So we really enjoy having him around the group," he said.

Bangladesh struggled with the bat big time as they got all-out twice under 200 in the first Test. While they were superb with the new ball, Shanto struggled to find bowling options who could trouble the opponent with the old ball. The hosts will expect Shakib to maximise his experience and skill in the second Test and also provide some support to Shanto being the most capped player.

"When Shakib comes into the group, it creates calmness. You know, it also supplies Shanto with an extra person he can get advice from. A very, very experienced person on the field. He just brings calm. He is a world-class cricketer," Pothas stated.

Despite being away from international cricket, the all-rounder has played a fair amount of franchise and domestic cricket to keep himself fit. Shakib, who turned 37 recently, has lost some weight, according to Pothas, and is looking "great". 

"It looks like he has lost weight.  So he's been training. He has had a good BPL. He's had a good start to the Dhaka Premier League. He's happy and that's the only place we want Shakib. We want him happy. So, he looks great," he concluded.