Was it on a day like this that Shakib had to storm through with bat and ball? While the Bangladesh national team is struggling in Sri Lanka, far away in Guyana, Shakib is single-handedly carrying Dubai Capitals. With the bat, he hits a four off the very first ball with a reverse sweep; with the ball, he takes a wicket with his first delivery.
After an unbeaten 58 with the bat, he grabs 4 wickets with the ball! As if to declare — at 38, there’s still no one in Bangladesh who matches my caliber.
When Shakib came to bat, Dubai Capitals had lost 3 wickets for 58 runs. He immediately collected 4 runs from a reverse sweep on the first ball. As wickets started tumbling at the other end, he played the role of the anchor. But it didn’t take long for him to shift gears.
Shakib’s batting may no longer have the same sparkle as before. And on Guyana’s slow pitch, fluent batting is tough. But Shakib’s experience, his cricketing intellect, knows exactly how to bat here. His unbeaten 58 came off 37 balls with 7 fours and a six — a strike rate of nearly 157. He guided the team to 165 runs.
Then came the “Shakib Show” with the ball. It was expected, really. No matter how long he stays away from cricket, Shakib rarely loses his bowling edge. The pitch also offered assistance to spinners. And of course, Shakib was going to weave his magic.
A wicket off the first ball. A double-wicket maiden in the very first over. His bowling figures at the end of the match? 4 overs, 1 maiden, 13 runs, 4 wickets. With both bat and ball, he led the team to a 22-run victory.
And after such a performance — do we even need to ask who was the Man of the Match?
