Shakib in the record chest

Early years and youth cricket
Born in Magura, Khulna, Shakib started playing cricket at an early age. According to Prothom Alo sports editor Utpal Shuvro, Shakib "was fairly proficient at cricket and was often hired to play for different villages and teams".[15] In one of those matches, Shakib impressed an umpire who arranged for him to practice with the Islampur Para Club, a team in the Magura Cricket League. During the practice session, Shakib batted aggressively and bowled fast, as he usually did, but also chose to experiment with spin bowling which proved to be not so effective. He was picked to play for Islampur and took a wicket with his first ball; it was his first delivery with a proper cricket ball, having previously played with a taped tennis ball. He spent six months training at Bangladesh Krira Shiksha Pratisthan,[15] a government-run sports institute.[16] and in 2004, at the age of 17, was drafted by Khulna to play in the National Domestic League.

Shakib first represented Bangladesh at the U-19 level, debuting in August 2006 against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club. He played an important part in Bangladesh's victory, where he scored 30 runs and bowled out Elton Chigumbura to get his first ODI wicket.[17] In 2005, during the final of a tri-nation tournament involving England and Sri Lanka's Under-19 teams, Shakib scored an 86-ball century and took three wickets to lead his team to victory.[18] Between 2005 and 2006, Shakib played 18 youth One Day Internationals; he scored 563 runs at an average of 35.18, and took 22 wickets at an average of 20.18.[19]