On March 29th, Bangladesh won the second T20I against Ireland by a whopping 77 runs, thereby securing the three-match series. The skipper of the Bangladesh team, Shakib Al Hasan, made a significant contribution to the victory. He first scored an unbeaten 38 runs off 24 balls, displaying an impressive batting performance, and later showcased his exceptional bowling skills by taking five wickets for just 22 runs, earning him the Player of the Match award. With his fourth wicket in the match, he also surpassed Tim Southee of New Zealand to become the leading wicket-taker in T20Is, having taken a total of 136 wickets in 114 matches.
Apart from Southee, Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan is also a fierce competitor for the top spot. He has took 129 wickets in only 80 matches. Shakib’s performance in T20Is so far has been exceptional, with an average of 20.67 and an economy rate of 6.80. During the game, Bangladesh batted first, and the opening batsmen Litton Das and Shakib Al Hasan together scored 121 runs. Litton Das made an impressive 83 runs off 41 balls, while Shakib scored an unbeaten 38 off 24 balls. Their brilliant performance helped Bangladesh score a massive total of 202/3 in the rain-hit 17-over game. Shakib’s outstanding form continued with the ball, as he took five wickets to restrict Ireland to just 125/9. He dismissed Lorcan Tucker in the second over and Ross Adair in the fourth over, thereby providing his team with a great start.
Shakib Al Hassan made history for Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan, the skipper of the Bangladesh cricket team, made history during the second T20I against Ireland on March 29th. In the same over, he dismissed two Irish batsmen to equal Tim Southee’s record of 134 wickets in T20Is. The first of these wickets was that of Gareth Delany, followed by George Dockrell’s dismissal lbw in the sixth over. Shakib then completed his remarkable five-wicket haul by bowling out Harry Tector in the same over. With this, he surpassed Southee to become the leading wicket-taker in T20Is with 136 wickets in 114 matches.
Despite Curtis Campher’s efforts to keep Ireland’s hopes alive by scoring 50 runs off 30 balls, his teammates did not provide much support. Taskin Ahmed took three wickets, including Campher’s in the 15th over, to help Bangladesh secure the game.
Litton Das, who opened the batting with Shakib, made a significant contribution to Bangladesh’s victory by achieving a personal milestone. He smashed the fastest T20I fifty for Bangladesh, reaching the 50-run mark in just 18 balls. This feat broke the previous record held by former captain Mohammad Ashraful, who recorded a 20-ball fifty against West Indies in the 2007 T20 World Cup.
