ICC events may have not been the best for associate nations over the years and decades, but some players have always managed to stand out individually. One such player has been Bangladesh’s Shakib al Hasan who, without his team ever reaching finals or semi-finals, has always managed to top individual charts, both with bat and ball.
He seems to save his best for such international events, once again being their leading light in the ongoing 2021 ICC T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman. The side was in trouble after losing their opening game against Scotland, but they came back strong to win the next two against Oman and Papua New Guinea, eventually sealing their spot in the Super 12s. In both those wins, Shakib was Man of the Match!
He scored 108 runs in those three games with a twenty and a couple of forties, along with 9 wickets in just 3 games. He began the tournament with 30 previous scalps in the T20 World Cup history and went on to overtake a number of iconic names on the list of leading T20 WC wicket-takers, including Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Ajantha Mendis, Dale Steyn and Lasith Malinga.
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In the final game against PNG, he picked a 4-fer and that took his tally to 39 wickets, equally Shahid Afridi as the leading wicket taker in the history of the T20 World Cup. Bangladesh progressed to the Super 12s and it didn’t take long for him to get that one wicket needed to pass Afridi, picking a wicket in their first Super 12s game against Sri Lanka.
Shakib struck in the 9th over of Sri Lanka’s chase of 172 in this Group 1 game and picked up his 40th World T20 wicket. Remember, he brings his A-game for big tournaments, with a stellar performance in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 as well. – 600+ runs and 11 wickets in 8 games. Once again, he etches his name down in cricket history!
For more updates on the 2021 T20 World Cup, stay tuned to ReadScoops.com…
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