Batter Shakib at crossroads?

"Actually, Shakib's [Al Hasan] batting, he is not in rhythm," Bangladesh selector Hannan Sarkar said at the press conference in Mirpur after announcing a 16-member squad for the upcoming India Tests this month. 

Shakib's batting struggles have been in the limelight and questions are being raised whether the 37-year-old is past his best days as a batter or just a knock away from getting back to form.

Test cricket provides time, but one must face far steeper challenges in the longest format. The Bangladesh team management will be hoping that such challenges will set star all-rounder Shakib on the right course to overcome his batting blues.

His bat did not smile in the Pakistan series, nor in the preceding Global T20 league in Canada. Shakib is yet to play in any ODIs since the last ODI World Cup in India, when his eye problems first surfaced. In Tests though, his last fifty came against Ireland last year.

His eye problem still persists, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) sources have revealed. In fact, the change of stance that has been seen lately, starting from the Asia Cup in Pakistan and Sri Lanka last year, is largely due to his right eye's blurry vision.

"He has been prescribed rest; he needs a big gap," a BCB source claimed.

But at the twilight of his career, Shakib cannot afford a gap that would allow him to rest without playing for a long period.

He has just played for Surrey in County Championship Division One, where he had the ball do the talking -- picking nine wickets in two innings, featuring a five-for. However, he has not yet addressed concerns over his batting.

"He won't be able to get that kind of rest now, so he will have to manage it," sources close to the development informed The Daily Star.

If there is a cricketer from Bangladesh who can go against the grain and current form, simply to meet a challenge, that's Shakib. While batting has been difficult in Pakistan, the manner of his dismissals were not dissimilar to those of other Bangladesh batters. He struggled against the movement of Pakistan pacers on day three of the second Rawalpindi Test, but so did the other batters. His last innings in Pakistan showed he can still dig deep.

As far as Hannan's assessment is concerned, it is only a matter of time for Shakib to get over his batting woes.

"I believe, given the standards he has set, it's just a matter of time -- just one innings away. It's always a concern for the opposition when Shakib is at the wicket. No one rates Shakib based on two to five innings, and neither do we," he said.