MI Emirates’ left-arm spinning all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan delivered a sensational bowling performance, going four overs without conceding a single boundary.
After two underwhelming matches, Shakib returned to form with the ball, leaving opposition batsmen struggling against his left-arm spin. He claimed two wickets while giving away just 3.5 runs per over.
In the IL T20 on Sunday against Desert Vipers, Shakib bowled four overs for only 14 runs, not allowing any boundaries. Half of his 24 deliveries were dot balls, showcasing remarkable control.
This is Shakib’s first season in the UAE franchise league, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing. In his debut against Sharjah Warriors, he scored 16 off 12 balls before being retired out — a first in his career. In bowling, he went wicketless, conceding 27 runs in 2 overs.
After four matches, MI Emirates recalled Shakib to the playing XI on Saturday. He did not get a chance to bat against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders and was unable to meet expectations with the ball, going wicketless and conceding 20 runs in 2 overs.
There was some doubt over whether he would make the XI against Desert Vipers, but MI Emirates showed faith in the experienced all-rounder — and he repaid that trust with outstanding bowling.
As soon as the powerplay ended, captain Kieron Pollard brought Shakib into the attack. In his first over, Shakib conceded four runs off the first five balls, then bowled a strong final delivery that got Fakhar Zaman stumped.
Shakib struck again in the ninth over, picking up a wicket on the second ball when Sam Curran took a sharp return catch. He conceded only 3 runs in that over.
He continued his excellent spell in the eleventh over, with Jason Roy and Dan Lawrence managing just three runs between them.
Shakib returned for his final quota in the fifteenth over. Roy failed to score off the first three deliveries, took a single on the fourth ball, a double on the fifth, and no run off the last ball.
Besides Shakib, MI Emirates’ Zahur Khan also took two wickets. Tight bowling from the team restricted Desert Vipers to 127 for 7.
