As Bangladesh’s great Shakib Al Hasan dismissed Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka and Avishka Fernando in first Super 12 fixture of the T20 World Cup 2021 in Sharjah, he reached his 40th scalp in the tournament’s 14-year-long existence.
No.40 took Shakib past the tally of former Pakistan captain and incisive wristspinner Shahid Afridi, who had picked up 39 wickets playing the first six editions of the T20 World Cup.
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Below Afridi in the list are prominent names from the Asian subcontinent, such as Lasith Malinga (38), Saeed Ajmal (36), Ajantha Mendis (35) and Umar Gul (35).
Stuart Broad (30), Dale Steyn (30) are among the other popular faces on the list.
But Shakib is on top of the pile now, with 40 wickets at an average of 16.02 and an economy rate of just 6.36 across 28 matches.
What makes Shakib’s record remarkable is the fact that he has managed to back those bowling exploits with an impressive batting record. The 34-year-old is also Bangladesh’s highest run-getter in the history of the T20 World Cup, with 685 runs at a strike-rate of 126.61.
In the ongoing edition, Shakib hasn’t been at his best with the bat, having made only 118 runs from his four innings at a strike-rate of 116.83. But the allrounder has been magnificent with the ball.
Shakib is Bangladesh’s top wicket-taker of the tournament so far, taking 11 scalps from 4 matches at an economy rate of only 4.73.
In the game against Sri Lanka, Shakib was easily his team’s best bowler on show in defence of what seemed like a daunting score of 171/4. He picked up 2/17 off his three overs. But the rest of the Bangladeshi attack gave away runs at 10 runs per over.
Sri Lanka reached the target with an over and a half to spare, thanks to fantastic knocks from Charith Asalanka (80*) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (53).
