Shakib’s bat sold for Tk 20 lakh

Bangladesh star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan’s World Cup bat has been sold for Tk 20 lakh to a buyer identified as Raj, a Bangladeshi expatriate living in the USA, reports UNB.

Shakib had put this bat, which he played with during the last World Cup, on auction to raise fund to help the people suffering from the effect of coronavirus in Bangladesh.

Former national team skipper Mushfiqur Rahim was the first Bangladeshi cricketer to announce to put his bat on auction to raise fund for the struggling people around the country.

Auction of Shakib’s bat was held on April 22 by a Facebook page called Auction 4 Action, and the base price was Tk 5 lakh. The auction ended with the highest bid of Raj. His full name was not disclosed.

Shakib, who has been serving a two-year ban, with one year suspended, said the entire proceed of this auction will be transferred to his trust - Shakib Al Hasan Foundation – which will spend the money to help the struggling people in Bangladesh.

“I had built a connection with this bat. It was comfortable for me while scoring runs. I had been using it since the last IPL. Normally we use different bats in practice and in matches. But I used to use this one on both occasions,” Shakib said in a Facebook live event of Auction 4 Action.

In the last World Cup, played with the just-sold bat, Shakib scored 606 runs with two centuries and five half-centuries. He was the third-highest runs getter right after Rohit Sharma and David Warner.