NEWS
Follow UsBangladesh’s star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is experimenting with a unique method for improvement in his batting technique. In the recently-concluded Chennai Test, the left-hander was seen biting on a black strap wrapped around his neck, a technique he has devised himself to fix his head position which was falling over due to an eye condition.
As per Ophthalmologists from Chennai, London, Dhaka and Singapore, Shakib is diagnosed with Central Serous Chorioretinopathy (CSC) – a condition in which fluid accumulates under the retina and distorts vision.
Shakib adopted the black strap around his neck to tackle this situation in the Chennai Test and is continuing with it in his practice sessions for the upcoming games. According to his mentor Mohammad Salahuddin and BCB's chief physician Dr Debashish Chowdhury, Shakib has come up with this mechanism himself. Earlier, during the T20 World Cup, he was seen wearing a neck brace before the start of Bangladesh’s fixture against the Netherlands.
"He has come up with this strap. It is completely his idea. It has not come from us. He is working on a way to hold his head position while batting," Dr Chowdhury told ESPNcricinfo. "He was trying to manage this with a neck brace previously, so this strap thing is also in a trial-and-error phase. He has tried it in the nets. He has done a lot of shadows [batting practice] with it too."
As understood, Shakib wraps the strapping for optimum sighting of the ball given he had to change his head position after the diagnosis. "We all have one dominant eye, so when that is giving him trouble viewing the ball, then it can be problematic," Salahuddin said.
"I think it is good for him. I didn't tell him to do this. He came up with the idea, he was telling me last night on the phone. He ties it up around his neck, and biting down on it allows him to keep his neck and head steady. When the head and neck moves, the eyes also move, which is not ideal for a batter,” he elaborated.
Is this new method method working for Shakib? Dr Chowdhury said that only the all-rounder can provide a clear answer. "It is personal thing from him. He will understand if it is working for him or not. I think as long as it doesn't cause a health hazard, it's fine."
The 37-year-old has missed quite a few games this year due to this eye condition. Earlier this year, he missed a few Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) fixtures followed by white-ball matches and the first Test against Sri Lanka. Shakib then featured in the bilateral series against Zimbabwe and the USA, and later, in the T20 World Cup 2024 and Bangladesh’s historic Test tour of Pakistan.
He hasn’t had much impact in the longer format of late, averaging only 23.8 with the bat in Bangladesh’s last three Tests while picking only five wickets in total.
However, there are no doubts over his spot in the side in terms of his performance. As Najmul Hossain Shanto mentioned after the defeat in Chennai, “Whether he is struggling enough to make a comeback [for me what is important is that] what is their intention towards the team and how much he is willing to give to the team. More than whether he is scoring runs or not, I look at how is his preparation. What is his thinking about the team,” Shanto had said.
On the contrary, Shakib is doubtful for the second Test, starting on September 27 in Kanpur, due to a finger injury he sustained while facing Jasprit Bumrah in Chennai.
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