Rangpur captain Nurul calls out ‘ungrateful’ jeerers after Shakib roars back to form

After an uncharacteristically long lean patch, star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan stormed back into form with an award-winning performance in Rangpur Riders' win over Durdanto Dhaka in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2024 on Tuesday. 

Shakib smacked 34 off 20 and then claimed three wickets to win his 17th Player of the Match award in the BPL, the most by anyone. While his bowling performance had been decent, Shakib's returns with the bat diminished big time. He has been suffering from a retinal condition of the left eye which at one point reduced him to a lower-order batter.

But he returned to his preferred number three position on Tuesday and overcame a rather dodgy start to regain some form with the bat. 

"It was being discussed for a while," Rangpur captain Nurul Hasan said on Shakib's return to the top of the order. "Especially Shakib bhai wanted to take some time.. He's a very important member of our side. He himself wanted to bat at three."

Since the start of the tournament, Shakib was booed on the field multiple times while bowling or fielding close to the boundary line. 

"Shakib bhai has a huge contribution in the advancement of Bangladesh cricket. I think we are ungrateful and forget things quickly. If we experience these [jeers], it's sometimes understandable. But when these happen with him, it's unacceptable," Nurul said.

Shakib, who is also the face of the Rangpur franchise, is trying hard to return to runs with the bat. The franchise is right behind him too. "I think he has the management's full support. We have seen from close quarters how much he is trying."

"When a player is going through such an injury or bad patch, he needs motivation and the management is supporting him. He said the previous day that batting at three would be good for him. The management has given him full support," Nurul mentioned.