Shakib Al Hasan, the captain of the Tigers in ODIs and Test matches, was praised by Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha for reaching the milestone of 7000 ODI runs.
According to Hathurusingha, if the top all-rounder had played in conditions similar to those in England, Australia, or even India, he would have amassed close to 12,000 runs in the 50-over format.
“Shakib, I know playing in Bangladesh most of the time, and earlier, playing against other teams who had better bowling attacks [than Bangladesh], which is not the case now, at least not for the last five to six years, but maybe when you were starting [in your career], it’s not easy,” Hathurusingha was heard as saying during an appreciation speech at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium dressing room in a video posted from the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s [BCB] official Facebook page on Wednesday.
Shakib reached yet another milestone in the ongoing full series at home against Ireland as he became only the second Bangladeshi after ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal to reach 7000 runs in the 50-over format during his 93-run knock in the first ODI against the Irish side last Saturday. He also became only the third player, after Sanath Jayasuriya (13430 runs, 323 wickets) and Shahid Afridi (8064 runs, 395 wickets), to score 7000 runs and take 300 wickets in ODI cricket.
“And the other thing is, to score a lot of runs here is not easy. If you had played somewhere in England, Australia, or India, it would have been 10,000 or 12,000 runs for your talent. This is a very big achievement, well done,” Hathurusingha added as he handed a plaque to the champion cricketer. Tamim and Mushfiqur Rahim, who also achieved various milestones in the Ireland series, were also recognized for their accomplishments by the Bangladesh team management.
During his 23-run knock in the second ODI against Ireland last Monday, Tamim, the captain of Bangladesh in one-day internationals, became the 40th player overall and the first Bangladeshi to reach 15,000 international runs.
During a blistering 60-ball century against Ireland in the second ODI, Mushfiqur, who also received a plaque from Hathurusingha, became the third Bangladeshi after Tamim and Shakib to reach the milestone of 7000 ODI runs.
His 60-ball hundred beats Shakib’s 63-ball century against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2009 to become the fastest ODI century by a Bangladeshi player.
