Many cricketers, pundits, and spectators were drawn to Bangladeshi captain Shakib Al Hasan’s black neck strap when he was batting against India. On September 23, ESPNCricInfo revealed that Shakib has created this unique method for keeping his head in the proper position whilst batting.
Shakib’s disease
The all-round player from Bangladesh has a disorder called Central Serous Chorioretinopathy (CSC), which causes fluid to accumulate under the retina and can cause visual distortion. His head-positioning issues resulted from an eye ailment that first appeared in 2023.
The Bangladeshi player needs to focus on getting his head in the right place to see the ball in order to address the problem.
The chief medical officer of BCB, Dr. Debashish Chowdhury, states that Shakib’s novel approach is currently in the trial-and-error stage.
“This strap is his invention. He came up with the idea entirely. We are not the source of it. He is trying to figure out how to bat with his head in a certain position. This strap thing is still in the trial and error stage because he was previously attempting to manage this with a neck brace. In the nets, he has attempted it. He has also done a lot of shadow batting practice with it, according to Dr. Chowdhury, who was quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Dr. Chowdhury continued, “Shakib is the only one who can determine whether or not the new black strap technique is effective.” “It’s a personal matter for him. Whether or not it is effective for him, he will comprehend. I believe it’s okay as long as there’s no health risk,” he stated.
Shakib’s mentor, Muhammad Salahuddin, said the experiment is beneficial to him in the meantime. He continued, “We all have one dominant eye, so when that is giving him trouble viewing the ball, then it can be problematic.”
“I believe it will benefit him. This is not what I told him to do. He told me over the phone last night how he came up with the notion. He fastens it around his neck so that he can maintain the stability of his head and neck by biting down on it. It’s not ideal for a batter when the head and neck move because the eyes move too,” he continued.
Shakib’s comeback
Despite having the issue – which made him miss a few matches during the 2023 BPL, followed by Bangladesh’s white-ball matches against Sri Lanka, Shakib appeared in T20Is against Zimbabwe and USA and the 2024 T20 World Cup. He also played a pivotal role in Bangladesh’s 2-0 Test series win against Pakistan’s Rawalpindi in September 2024.
Apart from this, Shakib played in a county championship match for Surrey against Somerset too.
However, Shakib could not impress a lot against India in the first Test at Chapauk. He scored 32 in first innings and 13 in second, without picking up a wicket.
What skipper Shanto said?
As stated in the newspaper, Najmul Hossain Shanto, the captain of Bangladesh, stated of Shakib, “I look at how much hard work a player is putting into his game.” if he is having enough difficulty to recover. What goal do they have for their team? How much he is prepared to contribute to the group.”
“Some people could assume that I’m bringing it up because Shakib bhai is the subject of the question. I make an effort to view everyone equally, from Mushfiq[ur] bhai to Nahid Rana. I consider his preparation to be more important than whether or not he is scoring runs. What does he think of the team? “I am pleased with the level of preparation and willingness to give that each member of this Test squad has shown,” he continued.
