During the Chennai Test, former Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan was spotted biting down on a black strap wrapped around his neck while batting. This was part of his effort to maintain the correct head position while at the crease.
According to ESPNcricinfo, his mentor, Mohammad Salahuddin, and the Bangladesh Cricket Board's chief physician, Dr. Debashish Chowdhury, explained that Shakib devised this mechanism himself to prevent his head from falling over when playing the ball.
Previously, he had used a neck brace for the same purpose.
Shakib's head-positioning issues stem from an eye condition diagnosed last year. Ophthalmologists in Chennai, London, Dhaka, and Singapore concluded that he has Central Serous Chorioretinopathy (CSC), a condition causing fluid build-up under the retina, which can distort vision. To ensure optimal sighting of the ball while maintaining proper technique, Shakib has dedicated many hours to perfecting his head position.
"He has come up with this strap. It is completely his idea. It has not come from us. He is working on a way to hold his head position while batting," ESPNcricinfo quoted Dr Chowdhury as saying.
Shakib's eye specialist in Chennai confirmed his eye is improving.
"He was trying to manage this with a neck brace previously, so this strap thing is also in a trial-and-error phase. He has tried it in the nets. He has done a lot of shadows (shadow batting practice) with it too," he added.
Bangladesh batting coach David Hemp said, "It is something that Shakib has been using during practice at various times over the last few months," he was quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
"He is very comfortable using the strap and feels that it assists his head position," he added.
In May, during an interview shoot, Shakib was frequently observed practicing his batting stance. This was part of his effort to determine the optimal head position given his eye condition. According to ESPNcricinfo, Shakib recently consulted his eye specialist in Chennai, who informed him that his eye condition is improving.
"We all have one dominant eye, so when that is giving him trouble viewing the ball, then it can be problematic," Salahuddin said.
Salahuddin was pleased to see Shakib trying the rubber strap method to correct his head position.
"I think it is good for him. I didn't tell him to do this. He came up with the idea, he was telling me last night on the phone. He ties it up around his neck, and biting down on it allows him to keep his neck and head steady. When the head and neck move, the eyes also move, which is not ideal for a batter," he added.
"It is personal thing from him. He will understand if it is working for him or not. I think as long as it doesn't cause a health hazard, it's fine," he noted.
Shakib's eye condition caused him to miss some matches during this year's BPL and Bangladesh's white-ball matches against Sri Lanka.
He returned to international cricket in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Chattogram and later played in the T20Is against Zimbabwe and the USA, as well as the 2024 T20 World Cup.
He was instrumental in Bangladesh's 2-0 Test series win against Pakistan earlier this month and also played in a County Championship match for Surrey against Somerset.
However, during the Chennai Test, Shakib's performance with the bat was underwhelming, and he conceded over six runs an over in the 21 overs he bowled and questions arose about a possible finger issue.
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto explained that he chose not to use Shakib in the first innings due to the strong performance of the three pace bowlers but defended the veteran allrounder's place in the team during the post-match press conference.
"I look at how much hard work a player is putting into his game," Bangladesh skipper Shanto had told reporters.
"Whether he is struggling enough to make a comeback. What is their intention towards their team. How much he is willing to give to the team," he added.
On Monday, Bangladesh selector Hannan Sarkar stated that Shakib's finger issue only emerged after he began bowling in Chennai. He acknowledged that they will need to wait and see if Shakib will be fit for the Kanpur match.
"We still have time to think about Shakib ahead of our next game. We will observe him. He was 100% fit before the Chennai Test," Sarkar told reporters.
"We have heard lots of discussions about Shakib's finger (and why he did not bowl a lot in Chennai). You can't call it an injury straightaway. He didn't feel the problem before the match. He felt it after he started to bowl. He also got hit in the same place later in the game. That has caused some pain," he added.
"We have time to think about it. Shakib could even play as a batter [in Kanpur]. If he feels it is affecting both his batting and bowling though, it will be a different scenario," Sarkar concluded.
