Azad Majumder
Bangladesh all-rounder Sakib al Hasan missed another opportunity to achieve the feat of adding a century to his five-wicket haul when he was out for 73 runs in the second Test against West Indies on Sunday.
Sakib raised the prospect of highly commendable feat after he claimed 5-63 in West Indies’ first innings to help Bangladesh bowl them out for 355 runs before leading their fightback with the bat.
This was the fourth time Sakib has missed the feat, last achieved by South Africa’s Jacques Kallis nearly a decade ago against Bangladesh incidentally at Potchefstroom in 2002.
Only 19 cricketers were able do so on 26 occasions in Test cricket with England’s Ian Botham alone doing it five times. Garry Sobers of West Indies, Mushtaq Mohammad of Pakistan and Kallis did it twice and with a bit of luck Sakib could have joined them easily.
In his brief 24-Test career, Sakib first created the chance when he took his career best 7-36 against New Zealand and followed it up with a half-century in Chittagong only to be dismissed for 71 runs in 2007.
Sakib came agonisingly close twice in consecutive years after that heart-breaking match, which Bangladesh lost from a winning position.
He was out for 96 runs after taking 5-70 against Sri Lanka at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium when Bangladesh were chasing an improbable target of 521 runs in December 2008.
Coincidentally, he was unbeaten on 96 after his 5-70 to miss out on another chance when he led Bangladesh to a win against West Indies in 2009.
From the team’s perspective a century and five wickets were badly needed for Bangladesh from Sakib in this Test as they were lagging behind from the very beginning.
Sakib fulfilled the demand with the ball with two wickets each in two sessions to complete his eighth five-wicket haul, but found himself in an awkward situation when it was his turn for batting.
With Bangladesh reeling at 59-5, Sakib was in two minds between attack and defence and finally paid the price for it when he was bowled by leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo.
His frustration at the crease was something to watch after the flighted delivery, which took a big turn before hitting the stumps giving Bishoo the only success so far in the Bangladesh innings.
By the time play ended, Sakib, however, became easy and relished his fourth five-wicket and fifty in Tests, which is itself an achievement for a player representing a team like Bangladesh.
‘I don’t think they have bowled really that well,’ he told reporters. ‘Perhaps I should have showed a little bit of patience. But in cricket you cannot say anything like that because I could have got out just trying to block.’
‘I am happy but it would have been better if I could get the hundred as I was timing the ball very well,’ said Sakib.
Despite the fact that Bangladesh are trailing West Indies by 151 runs with only three wickets in hand, Sakib believed the game is far from over for the hosts.
‘I think we are not out of the game. If we have a target of 350 runs to chase in the fourth innings I think we have the capability to knock it off,’ he said.
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