On August 6, 2006, Bangladesh handed one-day international debut to two teenage prodigies during the fifth match of a series against Zimbabwe at Harare. The series was already lost, but plenty was at stake for the Tigers. Back then Bangladesh and Zimbabwe were fierce rivals. So, the Tigers had to win the game to restore some lost pride. Sakib al Hasan joined Mushfiqur Rahim as the two uncapped players in the starting lineup, hoping to add some fresh blood to the team that was still struggling to find its feet in international cricket.
Mushfiq made his Test debut a year ago at Lord’s, so it was not entirely a new journey for him. But for Sakib it was the beginning of a career that in turn made him one of the finest cricketers of Bangladesh. Today, Sakib will celebrate his 10 years of international cricket as the top all-rounder of one-day international cricket and Twenty20 international, something no one had expected of him.
Over the last 10 years, Sakib’s career was full of action with many highs as well as a few lows. He announced his arrival firmly with a Test match against New Zealand in 2008 in Chittagong when he claimed nine wickets, including 7-36 in an innings, to nearly pull off a stunning win before being denied by Daniel Vettori.
It was the first Test for Bangladesh since the retirement of Mohammad Rafique, so Bangladesh were badly looking for someone to fill his shoes. Sakib proved he was more than enough qualified to do the job. Later in 2009 he took over the charge of Test team in West Indies after the injury of Mashrafe bin Murtaza to lead them to 2-0 win. Sakib hit the winning six in the first Test before taking the final wicket in the second Test to accomplish Bangladesh’s first ever series win away from home.
Sakib demonstrated his leadership skill in many other matches to change the face of Bangladesh team, which, until his arrival was occasionally promising but often embarrassing.
He had had few lows in his career, but every time he was down, Sakib came out stronger. His 10-wicket in a match and a century in an innings of the same Test against Zimbabwe could be cited as an example. It was his first series after a six-month ban that had put a big question mark on his career.
The biggest trait of Sakib is his ability to stay calm under pressure, a quality that not too many Bangladeshi cricketers posses. He never shied away from looking eye to eye of an opponent, something Bangladesh could rarely do in the past. Over the last few years Bangladesh got a few other match winners and the team’s dependence on Sakib was reduced. But he still remains the biggest star in Tigers’ dressing room for providing hopes and entertainment for a decade.
-With New Age input
