31 December 2008

A Bangladeshi emerging star of world cricket?

Well it's too early to say, but I wonder if Shakib Al-Hassan of Bangladesh will come to be a star in the same way as Daniel Vettori is for New Zealand. I previously posted about how Bangladesh's best chance of victory is generally to bat first and let Al-Hassan bowl them to victory in the 4th innings if, that is, they can score enough runs to give him the opportunity.

Over the last few matches against New Zealand, South Africa and now Sri Lanka - where he was man-of-the-match despite playing for the losing side - he's made massive strides and without working it out, his bowling average over that period must be in the low 20s. With his batting also coming along nicely (he scored 96 in Bangladesh's 2nd innings), Bangladesh could soon have a player who is a genuine star in the context of world cricket.

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