Experience on display, a numerical milestone Shakib back in the spotlight in ILT20

When experience tips the balance, age and recent form briefly fade into the background. On the ILT20 stage, such an evening once again brought Shakib Al Hasan into the center of attention. Amid questions about fading sharpness and rhythm over time, the Bangladeshi star proved through an all-round performance that his ability to rise on the big stage is far from gone.
Against the Desert Vipers on Sunday, Shakib was impressively controlled with the ball for MI Emirates. He conceded just 14 runs in his four overs and picked up two crucial wickets, effectively slowing the opposition’s scoring and swinging the momentum his team’s way. He later played a responsible role with the bat as well, remaining unbeaten on 17. His contributions in both departments guided MI Emirates toward victory, and the 38-year-old all-rounder was rewarded with the Player of the Match award.
With this recognition, Shakib’s tally of Player of the Match awards in T20 cricket rose to 45. He reached this milestone in 465 matches. Rashid Khan and Alex Hales also have 45 such awards to their names, but Rashid needed 504 matches and Hales 524—making Shakib’s achievement stand out even more by comparison.
The recent period in T20 cricket, however, had not been particularly comfortable for Shakib. In the seven matches prior to this one, he went wicketless in five and managed just one wicket in each of the remaining two. Leaving that subdued phase behind, Shakib Al Hasan once again stamped his experience and class in this ILT20 encounter.