Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib al Hasan’s first proper hundred

It’s over two years since we tipped Shakib al Hasan for great things. It’s been a bit of wait, but he might be getting somewhere.

After 75 in his last innings, he’s now hit a hundred. It was against Pakistan as well. Without wishing to be too harsh on Canada, who Shakib’s first hundred was against, Pakistan aren’t rubbish – like, say, Canada are.

Bangladesh were 10-3 when Shakib arrived at the crease and fell to 109-8 via 16-4 and 84-7. He hit 108 and Mashrafe Mortaza batted like a grown-up for 38. Bangladesh still lost, obviously, but if they find a couple more Shakib al Hasans, things are going to start getting interesting.

Shakib al Hasan spanks runs

Yes, Bangladesh lost again, but Shakib al Hasan had an all-round good game and that warrants coverage.

He took 2-50 as Pakistan pummelled their way to 308 and then he hit 75 off 73 balls. Shakib now averages 32 with the bat in one-day internationals and 33 with the ball. For a 21-year-old who’s played 46 matches, that’s not half bad, even if not all the matches were against Test standard opposition.

He has done things against Test teams though, even if his solitary hundred was against Canada. He’s taken wickets against every Test side he’s played against bar Australia – and he’s only bowled five balls against them, so let’s not judge him too harshly.

He’s also hit fifties against Sri Lanka, against India, against England, against India again, against South Africa and now against Pakistan.

It’ll be sad when other people start writing about him. We won’t be special any more. We won’t be Shakib al Hasan’s sole, special, mental media outlet.

Bangladesh knock out West Indies

We’re brilliant at this whole ‘identifying players to watch during the World Cup‘ thing, just so long as you’re not too rigid about which World Cup we were talking about.

Chris Gayle might have gone for a duck yesterday, but earlier in the tournament he hit the first ever international Twenty20 hundred. That’s worth watching.

Justin Kemp won Chris Gayle’s match with 46 not out off 22 balls. That’s worth watching.

Shahid Afridi hit 22 off seven balls and then took four wickets. That’s worth watching.

And yesterday Saqibul Hasan took 4-34, which was only superseded in watchability by Mohammad Ashraful’s 27 ball 61.

As a result of losing this match as well as their first, the West Indies were knocked out with no points from their two games.

India against Scotland was washed out yesterday meaning each side got one point. Scotland’s captain, Ryan Watson, said: “At least we will go home with one more point than the West Indies.”

This might not actually be the case however. If Pakistan beat India by a great margin, Scotland could still qualify. And they’ll still be one better than the West Indies.

See the rest of our World Cup players to watch here. Ian Bell’s unlikely to achieve much what with not being in England’s squad and all, but if we’re adopting a lazy recycling policy about our ones to watch then we can’t suddenly get all proactive just because one of them’s not even appearing.