The events of the first match of Sylhet phase of BPL. Rangpur Riders face Khulna Tigers. Shakib Al Hasan heard a thud when he went to field towards the club house. Many shouted simultaneously from the gallery 'fake… fake….' At one stage, Rangpur captain Nurul Hasan Sohan did not send Shakib to field in that direction.
Shakib, who was shaky with the bat at the start of the tournament, finally caught fire. Sohan chose this day to reply.
It is rare for Shakib to give a double in any match or tournament in the field of Bangladesh. But in recent times this has become the regular picture.
Rangpur played three more matches later in Sylhet. In the next two matches as well, the echoes from the gallery covertly echoed towards Shakib. Even seeing Shakib sitting in the dugout wearing a helmet on the big screen gave the duo a section of the stadium audience.
The picture changed in the last match against Sylhet Strikers. As Shakib approaches after winning the match, the sound of 'Shakib', 'Shakib' can be heard from the gallery. From the cricket fans of Bangladesh that is the normal picture of last one and a half century. Shakib, who brought a lot of joy with the bat and ball, is naturally always talked about by the audience.
But in recent times, the audience is throwing a lot of surprise towards the poster boy of the country's cricket. It started when he returned home during the short break between the last ODI World Cup in India. The practice that started on a very small scale took a big shape with BPL. Shakib's teammates are also angry about this.
