Before New Zealand's tour of Bangladesh in October 2008, Shakib was considered more of a batsman than a bowler, despite being an all-rounder. Though he usually batted down the order at number seven in Tests, he had mostly batted in the top five in ODIs. In a departure from Shakib's usual role Jamie Siddons, the coach stated that Shakib would play the Test series against New Zealand as a specialist bowler. The move immediately paid off, and he took 7/37 in New Zealand's first innings in the opening Test. They were the best bowling figures by a Bangladesh player in Tests. Bangladesh lost the series 2–0, but Shakib finished as Bangladesh's leading wicket-taker in the series with 10 wickets at 17.80. His spell was nominated to be the Best Test Bowling Performance of 2008 by ESPNCricinfo.