Playing mindset key to Shakib’s form


Shakib Al Hasan hadn't look comfortable with his batting since making the comeback to international cricket; it seemed like he was paying the price for trying to rush into things to prove he is back in business.

His childhood mentor Nazmul Abedin and Mohammad Salahuddin, the pair responsible for designing his training program in BKSP, were relieved with the effort of their protege. The duo has been working with Shakib since his childhood days in BKSP, where he had joined as a young student of class seven to pursue a career in cricket.

After his heroics with the bat, Shakib claimed that he had changed his batting approach along with freeing himself up from all the anxiety of not being able to perform. He also added that if he can win his own mental game, he is likely to score more consistently.

Nazmul, who is pleased with Shakib's "new beginning", told Cricbuzz that the Bangladesh all-rounder is reaping the fruit of mental transformation more than anything else.

"He looked good and that is what was expected. I was telling him time and again that he needs to focus on staying at the wicket and construct his innings and that too at a much slower pace than he is expected so that there is no pressure. He played an innings at a much slower pace than he is used to as a batsman. This innings will bring him back to his groove," said Nazmul. "Previously we have seen that he was trying to play too many shots and it looked like he wanted to release the pressure by getting on top of the bowler through smacking him to different corners of the ground, but that hardly paid off.

"Fighting it out in the middle without trying to play shots over the top was extremely difficult for someone who is constantly failing. It was more mental than technical as he had to change his whole mental set-up for making runs previously."