Muttiah Muralitharan lauds Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman

Legendary off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has lauded former Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan for his extraordinary all-round performance in the ongoing Test series against Sri Lanka before calling him one of the best all-rounders in the game. Murali also praised him for evolving as a bowler over the past few years. During an exclusive chat with Dhaka Tribune, Murali also spoke about the ongoing series, Mustafizur Rahman and Ravichandran Ashwin.

Shakib’s fighting century in the 1st innings of the 2nd Test helped Bangladesh reach a commendable score of 476 runs, thus taking a massive 129 runs lead over the hosts. “I think he (Shakib) is a very good all-rounder. As a spinner, he is definitely good. But as an all-rounder, I think he is one of the best,” Muralitharan was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune.

Making his debut way back in 2006, Shakib has gone on to become the greatest cricket the country has produced. He has been an integral member of the Bangladesh side in all 3 formats of the game and was also the No.1 all-rounder in the world for a long period. The left-arm tweaker bagged 3 wickets in Sri Lanka’s 2nd innings which derailed the Sri Lankan progress.

Murali also lauded cutter specialist Mustafizur Rahman and said he is a quick learner of the game. “Mustafizur is brilliant, not only for Bangladesh but also for SRH last season. I feel if he is nurtured, he can certainly have a long career ahead of him,” Muralitharan said. Murali also hailed the Bangladesh team for showing the fighting spirit and making a dramatic comeback in the 2nd Test after a mediocre performance in the opening Test.

“Bangladesh did not play well in the first Test. But Sri Lanka played really well. But in this Test (second Test) Bangladesh are playing really good and giving a tough fight to Sri Lanka,” Muralitharan added. Murali concluded by praising Indian spin ace Ravichandran Ashwin. “I think Ravichandran Ashwin is bowling really well at the moment. He is very good.”