ICC World Cup 2019: Shakib Al Hasan is Danger Man for Bangladesh - Ricky Ponting

Two times World Cup winning skipper Ricky Ponting believes Shakib Al Hasan is going to be the danger man for Bangladesh. Shakib Al Hasan is the number one all-rounder in the One Day International format. With vast experience under his belt, the southpaw all-rounder is going to hold the key for Bangladesh.

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Shakib Al Hasan has been a consistent performer for the Tigers and he would be the team’s trump card. Hasan will like to bring his best to the table as he would know that he is going to hold the key to his team’s success.

Shakib Al Hasan has all the experience under his belt.

The southpaw batsman has thus far scored 5717 runs in the 198 matches he has played at an impressive average of 35.51. Furthermore, he has scalped 249 wickets for the Tigers. Thus, Hasan can play a big role in Bangladesh’s success.

“My danger man for Bangladesh is Shakib Al Hasan,” Ponting told cricket.com.au on Sunday. “He has been here for a long time. He scores in so different areas; he is very strong in the square of the wicket. He strokes very well in backward point and the third man region,” he said.

Meanwhile, the former Australian skipper also praised Shakib Al Hasan for his bowling shrewdness. Hasan is not a big turner of the ball and he makes use of the arm ball with all the guile.

“Shakib’s cleverness comes out in his bowling. He has never been a big turner of the ball, left arm off spinner [ Shakib ], his change of pace in bowling is quite amazing and he looks to be attacking. He uses the arm ball a lot more than other spinners,” he added.

“He is different than other spinners right now, most spinners bowl in the pitch and don’t give any scoring opportunities. But he is the other way, he keeps you in the pitch for the first couple of balls, changes the pace and waits for the batsman to take him on,” Ricky Ponting said.

Smart with his bowling.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh will play their opening warm-up match against Pakistan, who had lost their opener against Afghanistan.

Shakib Al Hasan will like to come up with his best and his experience will be vital for Bangladesh.

“Shakib has been playing in the international cricket for a long time now, he also played in IPL and Big Bash league for a long time. His experience will come in handy for Bangladesh,” Ricky Ponting concluded.

Bangladesh will begin their World Cup campaign against South Africa at Kennington Oval, London on 2nd June. They had qualified into the quarter-finals in the 2015 edition of the World Cup and they would like to go all the way in the quadrennial event. In fact, Bangladesh’s performance has improved in the last five years and they are more competitive now.