Finally, the Bangladeshi star shines with the bat in the CPL.
After a string of failures, Shakib Al Hasan finally found his rhythm in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). The Bangladeshi all-rounder produced a blistering knock, smashing a fiery fifty to announce his return to form.
Playing for Antigua & Barbuda Falcons against St. Lucia Kings on Sunday, Shakib hammered 61 off just 26 balls, hitting five fours and five sixes. His innings was filled with breathtaking strokes — sweeps, reverse sweeps, and slog shots — showcasing vintage Shakib.
Before this match, the tournament had been frustrating for him. Across six innings, he had scored just 25 once, and never crossed 13 in the other games, struggling badly to find his touch.
But this time, Shakib looked like his old self right from the start. Coming in to bat at number four in the seventh over, the 38-year-old faced a tricky situation. Tabraiz Shamsi had taken two wickets in two balls and was on a hat-trick. Shakib calmly swept a full toss outside leg stump for four on the first ball and then reverse-swept the next for another boundary.
After crawling to 13 off 11 balls, he shifted gears. He smashed Roston Chase for back-to-back sixes and then tore into David Wiese in the 12th over, blasting the Namibian pacer for three fours and two sixes off five balls. Shakib reached his fifty in just 20 deliveries.
This was Shakib’s third CPL fifty and the 34th T20 half-century of his career.
He later launched Alzarri Joseph over long-off for six, but his explosive innings finally ended when he pulled a slower delivery from Delano Potgieter straight to a fielder.
Thanks to Shakib’s 61, Amir Jangoo’s 56 off 43 balls, and Fabian Allen’s cameo of 38 off 17, Antigua & Barbuda Falcons posted a commanding total of 204 runs.
