Shakib Al Hasan accounted for the dismissals of Richie Berrington and Michael Leask to surpass Lasith Malinga, and become the highest wicket taker in the shortest format of international cricket.
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Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan on Sunday became the leading wicket-taker in men’s T20Is, after accounting for the dismissal of Michael Leask in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 Group B encounter against Scotland. Shakib sent Leask back to the pavilion to account for his 108th wicket in the shortest format of international cricket. The all-rounder had earlier dismissed Richie Berrington during the same encounter. Shakib has now surpassed legendary Sri Lankan cricketer Lasith Malinga (107), which is definitely impressive to say the least.
Shakib recently became the first player to score 1,000 runs and account for 100 dismissals in all formats of the game. The Bangladesh all-rounder accounted for the wicket of Australian cricketer Ashton Turner on August 9, to record the unique milestone in the final T20I of the five-match series between the two nations. The all-rounder had previously registered this landmark in Test cricket and the 50-over format of the game. The 34-year-old became the first spinner and second bowler overall after Malinga to pick 100 wickets in T20Is. Australia were bowled out for their lowest T20I score of 62 in the final match of the series, with Bangladesh emerging triumphant by a 4-1 margin.
While the Bangladesh cricketer achieved a lot of glorious milestones, the encounter further marked the end of a fine achievement. Shakib was dismissed LBW for the first time in his T20I career, 15 years after making his debut in the shortest format of the game.
“I am still enjoying my game. Thanks to my team mates, this achievement wouldn’t have been possible. The wicket was tough but we held our nerves. All in all, a very good series for us. To be honest, if you look at the last game, we scored 104 or 105 and got momentum towards the defense of the chase. It wasn’t easy for the batters in this series but the bowlers did well,” said the Bangladesh cricketer.
“We are trying to improve all our areas. Our fast bowlers have been improving really well. They have been bowling brilliantly. It has been a good combination of spin and fast bowling. Sometimes I do keep track of the records,” added Shakib.
The Bangladesh all-rounder made himself available for the T20 World Cup encounter against Scotland, despite being involved with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL final on October 15.
”Shakib is available. Probably he is a bit tired after coming back from the IPL but he is there with us,” said Mahmudullah.
”We will play hard cricket and if we can play to our potential result will take care of itself. We have to cross a few barriers and we want to go step by step and I hope if we can play good cricket tomorrow we can go a long way,” he added.
This is an indication of the Bangladesh all-rounder’s dedication towards the game.
