Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, Stalwarts who took Different Paths

Facing off in the nets, Shakib Al Hasan tends to take on the net bowlers. He goes after the ball, swinging widly, and tends to look for match simulations. On the other side though, Mushfiqur Rahim's approach is to get bat to as many balls as possible. He does not slog, or attract to much attention and instead calmly blocks away with the occasional drive when the ball is pitched in a comfortable spot for him to play. 

The duo are Bangladesh's biggest stalwarts. They are probably the best things to happen to Bangladesh Cricket, having carried the side so much over the last decade. They are a part of a fab five which has been reduced to two now. With Test Cricket in particular, most of their early partners are out of the format. Tamim Iqbal's future remains uncertain, Mahmadullah retired from Tests a couple years ago while Mashrafe Mortaza too has been out of the format for the past decade.

Of the two, Shakib Al Hasan is the one who has often been in the spotlight more. He put on a really good show, narrowly missing out on the player of the tournament award in the 2019 World Cup. Before that he grew as one of the worlds best All-rounders, having led the side a number of times and was easily their best player. Post 2019, Shakib Al Hasan went through a ban, had some temper issues spotlighted and was in with a lot of controversies. He joined the leading political party which has now fallen leaving his political career in turmoil. Along with that, some health issues such as concerns with his eye bother him too.

On the other side though, Mushfiqur Rahim silently did his work. He was equally consistent in the national side and has conducted himself well, looking more like a role model in the national side than Shakib Al Hasan. He is 12 Tests away from being the first Bangladeshi Cricketer to play 100 Tests and has seen the bad and best of Bangladesh including a Test win in New Zealand.  He is the silent role model while Shakib Al Hasan is more of the superstar character in the side.

The duo are still going strong. Shakib Al Hasan is back after a tough time with both his eyes and political career, but he now has a chance to switch off from everything and focus only on Cricket. Both players have played 61 Tests together, extending over a period of 17 years. They both have a varying styles with net sessions an example of their approach to the game but their experience remains priceless.