'I do get emotional'
Shakib Al Hasan on crying during games, and a compliment from Shoaib Malik
First time I met a cricketing idol
My first cricketing idol was Saeed Anwar, but I have never met him. Apart from Anwar I have always admired Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar, and I was lucky to meet both of them during the 2007 World Cup. I did not speak to them, but made sure I took pictures with them.
First time I cried after a match
The quarter-final of the Under-19 World Cup, when we lost to England. Before the tournament we had played against England in a few one-dayers and beat them easily. So we thought we could beat them again during the World Cup. Unfortunately it did not happen that way. Do tears come easily to me? Sometimes, yes. I do get emotional when I am happy for playing a good innings that helped the team win, or at times when things are not happening the way they should.
First compliment I got from an international cricketer
I scored an ODI hundred against Pakistan in Multan. We were 10 for 3 when I came in, but I managed to stay for long enough to help Bangladesh make a modest target. Sometime later the Asia Cup was being played in Pakistan and Shoaib Malik, who was the Pakistan captain at the time, asked my team-mates why I was not in the squad. When he was told I was forced to sit out because I had to take some examinations, he said that he would have given me a pass certificate to make sure I was the first guy in his team. That was a nice thing he said.
First wicket in serious cricket
I got my first wicket off the first ball I ever bowled in competitive cricket with a leather ball. It was in my hometown, Magura, where I was playing for Islampur Para Cricket Club. It was also the first time, and perhaps the only occasion, when I allowed my parents to come and watch the match. I do not even remember what type of delivery it was, but I do know it flattened the middle stump. I was overjoyed. I finished with three wickets in that match.
First time a coach gave me stick
It was my first tour with a Bangladesh team, where I was part of the Under-15 team. We came to Kolkata to play against a Cricket Association of Bengal team. One day at the ground, our coach, Nazmul Abedin Fahim, was giving us some instructions seriously because we had not batted well. Something about that speech made me laugh. He was furious and let me have it. From that day I make sure I do not smile when a coach is talking seriously.