Shakib achieves rare T20 double as table-toppers Rangpur thump Chattogram
Against Chattogram, Shakib became only the second cricketer after West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell to achieve the double. Shakib is also the second Bangladeshi cricketer to have 7000 T20 runs. Tamim Iqbal is the first person to achieve that milestone.
Ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan reached a rare double of 7000 runs and 400 wickets in T20 cricket during Rangpur Riders' fifth consecutive victory in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2024 at the Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS) in Mirpur on Saturday.
Table-toppers Rangpur were up against an in-form Chattogram Challengers but the side led by Nurul Hasan proved to be too strong for the team placed third in the BPL points table.
Shakib was behind Rangpur's post-powerplay surge as he added 60 off just 5.2 overs with South African top-order batter Reeza Hendricks. The left-handed batter needed eight runs on Saturday to complete 7000 runs in the shortest format of the game.
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The all-rounder has been struggling from a retinal condition of the left eye which forced him to drop down to the lower order for a few games.
But according to Rangpur skipper Nurul Hasan, Shakib told the management that he would bat at number three and later made a pretty good contribution of 34 off 20.
Although he wanted to spend some more time in the middle, Shakib's confident 16-ball stay on Saturday will give him a lot of confidence going into the business end of the BPL.
Against Chattogram, Shakib became only the second cricketer after West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell to achieve the double. Shakib is also the second Bangladeshi cricketer to have 7000 T20 runs. Tamim Iqbal is the first person to achieve that milestone.
A canny left-arm spinner, Shakib has 476 T20 wickets in 421 matches at an economy rate of just 6.76. Shakib is the fourth-highest wicket-taking spinner in the format.
Shakib's teammate at Rangpur Imran Tahir, who also reached Bangladesh Saturday morning, picked up his 497th T20 wicket and is closing in on 500 T20 wickets.
Hendricks, who arrived in Dhaka just a few hours before the match, played a decent knock of 58 off 41 deliveries.
Milestone man Shakib, who hit a quick-fire 27 off 16, was also Rangpur's best bowler with figures of 4-0-24-2.
Rangpur's innings received a much-needed impetus from BPL debutant Jimmy Neesham. The southpaw smashed five fours and three sixes in his unbeaten 26-ball-51. Captain Nurul Hasan (31* off 21) gave him decent support.
Chattogram had a promising line-up but failed to go anywhere near Rangpur's 211-3. Shykat Ali (63 off 45) smashed six sixes in his knock as the Chattogram opener but the slow start and inability to cut down dot balls hurt them big time.
None of Josh Brown, Tom Bruce and Shahadat Hossain got going. Curtis Campher (24 off 21) played decently but the required run rate kept on going out of reach.
Shuvagata Hom (31* off 13) hit some lusty blows towards the end but could not prevent the 53-run loss.
