SHAKIB AL HASAN

One of the most clichéd statements in cricket is 'form is temporary, but class is permanent'. However clichéd, cricketers, especially in the longest format of the game, often produce performances that justify the use of the statement. Shakib Al Hasan's case could be a prime example of that. The top all-rounder seemed to have gone off the boil a bit in recent times when it came to his bowling. Some even started to say that he had lost venom in his bowling and some even went on to consider him as a third choice in the spin department after the ever-persisting Taijul Islam and the promising Mehedi Hasan. But Shakib, as he usually does, proved everyone wrong with a masterful display of spin bowling to lead Bangladesh to a historic 20-run win over Australia in Dhaka yesterday. While Mehedi and Taijul played supporting roles, Shakib was the man that made the win possible with five wickets in each innings. It could be safely said that his hunger and ability with the ball is still very much on par with his batting prowess.