Shakib Al Hasan moved closer to Kieron Pollard and Glenn Maxwell by winning his 46th ‘Man of the Match’ award in T20 cricket.
With just three runs needed for victory, Shakib appeared eager to finish the match in style with a six. However, he failed to connect properly with a slower delivery outside off stump from Ajan Kumar and was caught at mid-off. By then, though, his blistering knock had all but sealed the win for his team.
In the second qualifier of the ILT20, MI Emirates thrashed Abu Dhabi Knight Riders by seven wickets to book a place in the final, thanks largely to Shakib’s all-round brilliance.
At the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday, Emirates’ bowlers laid the foundation by restricting Knight Riders to just 120 runs. Shakib played his part with the ball as well. Although he didn’t take a wicket, the Bangladeshi spinning all-rounder was extremely economical, conceding only 20 runs in his four overs.
During the chase, Shakib struck 38 off 24 balls, smashing five fours and a six. His 82-run partnership off 53 balls with Tom Banton for the third wicket effectively decided the outcome of the match.
Banton carried his bat with a match-winning 63 off 53 balls, hitting six fours and a six, as Emirates reached the target with 23 balls to spare.
Shakib was named Player of the Match. This was his 46th such award in T20 cricket, achieved in 469 matches, bringing him closer to Pollard and Maxwell in the all-time list.
Pollard has won 48 Man of the Match awards in 732 T20 games, while Maxwell has 48 from 492 matches. Towering above everyone, as with many T20 records, is Chris Gayle, who has claimed 60 such awards in 463 matches.
MI Emirates reached the final of the UAE-based franchise league for the second time. The champions of the second edition will face Desert Vipers in Sunday’s final — the same opponents who defeated Shakib’s side in the first qualifier.
Emirates did not get off to the best start in the chase, losing Andre Fletcher in the second over. Fellow opener Muhammad Waseem also failed to stay at the crease for long.
Shakib came in to bat in the eighth over with the score at 36 for 2. He got going straight away, hitting Sunil Narine for a boundary off his very first ball.
He handled the spinners with ease, striking consecutive fours off former India spinner Piyush Chawla. Against Liam Livingstone, he played a cut shot for four before launching a massive six over deep midwicket on the very next ball, followed by another boundary in the same over.
In that over, Banton punished Jason Holder with four consecutive fours to complete his half-century off 49 balls. After Shakib’s dismissal, it was Banton again who struck the winning runs.
This is Shakib’s first appearance in the tournament. In his previous three matches, his highest score with the bat was an unbeaten 17. In one of those games, he was named Player of the Match after taking two wickets.
