Shakib Al Hasan: Who is the enigma of Bangladesh?

Ven EU: Mirpur and Chittagong Dates: March 1, 3 and 6 Coverage: Live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app, plus reports match, features and analytics

But who really is the man Eoin Morgan described as "a true lover of the game"?

According to Morgan, a former England World Cup-winning captain and Shakib's Indian Premier League (IPL) team-mate, the Bangladesh Test and T20 skipper is a world-class performer and the embodiment of 'a model professional.

"He has long been one of the best all-rounders in the world, he has very rarely bad days. Playing alongside him makes you love the guy even more. He is extremely passionate about playing for Bangladesh," Morgan said at the 2021 T20 World Cup, when England last met Bangladesh.

Shakib is clearly Bangladesh's greatest cricketer; in all formats he has scored over 13,400 runs, he has made more deliveries (2,385) than anyone else in the T20s and ODIs, he has won more Player of the Match awards than India's MS Dhoni, despite playing over 100 fewer games.

< p class="" data-reactid=".1h17cnoz8bm.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-7">As he approaches his 36th birthday, he is set to face England in a series for the last time, with three one-day internationals from Wednesday, before three T20s from March 9 to 14.

But his reluctance talking about him in detail gives the impression sion of not really knowing who he is.

The model-professi The onal image is, however, at odds with a two-decade career that has resulted in a long criminal record.

Indeed, much of the cricketing world beyond Bangladesh perceives Shakib as a damaged commodity, forever tainted by her 2019 ban for failing to report the approach of an alleged match-fixer.

At home, his legions of adoring fans have been altogether more willing to accept Shakib's indiscretions and are willing to forgive and forget.

Yet lately his on-court antics at tournaments nationals have grown increasingly bizarre, stretching the patience of even the most loyal supporter. The sight of Bangladesh's most prized cricketer constantly bickering with umpires, protesting an apparent injustice, has done Shakib's global image few favours. ...