Shakib Al Hasan to auction his 'special' World Cup 2019 bat for coronavirus fight

Shakib Al Hasan, the prolific Bangladesh all-rounder, has been extending his support through his foundation for the ones affected in the coronavirus pandemic. The Magura-born is now set to auction off his bat from the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales.

The money raised will be going into his foundation. During the tournament, he was arguably the Tigers’ standout batter, having scored 606 runs from eight games. The southpaw said that it’s one of his favourite bats and has scored around 1,500 runs with it.

“I had said before that I want to put up a bat for auction. I have decided to auction the bat I used in the 2019 World Cup. It’s a favourite bat of mine,” Shakib was quoted as saying during a Facebook Live session.

This is a very special bat to me: Shakib Al Hasan

During the World Cup, only once did Shakib not cross the 50-run mark. In addition to scoring five half-centuries, he notched a couple of centuries against England and the West Indies. The 33-year-old understands the need for the auction in the situation of crisis.

“I had a good World cup with the bat and ball. There were some good performances especially with the bat. I had used a single bat throughout the World Cup and even used tapes on it to get through games,” Shakib stated.

“Although I like the bat a lot but I have decided to put it up for auction with the thought that maybe it can leave some contribution to forming a fund during the ongoing coronavirus crisis. This is a very special bat to me, but my people are even more special to me,” he added.

In the World Cup, Shakib also picked 11 wickets with a five-wicket haul against Afghanistan to show for his efforts. He is currently serving a suspension period from the International Cricket Council (ICC) after not being able to report corrupt approaches.

Apart from Shakib, Mushfiqur Rahim, among Bangladesh players, has also decided to auction the bat with which he scored his maiden Test double century. The COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh have gone above 3,770 with 120 people losing their lives.