Shakib Al Hasan Retirement: Top five memorable T20I performances from Bangladesh all-rounder

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Shakib Al Hasan announced his retirement from T20I cricket on Thursday, September 26. The all-rounder, who is the most successful captain of the Bangladesh cricket team, revealed the surprising news in a press conference ahead of the IND vs BAN series.

The 37-year-old cricketer is the most successful and famous cricketer to emerge out of Bangladesh and has enjoyed unprecedented success in all three formats of the game. His record in T20I is equally impressive, with him once being the top-ranked T20I all-rounder in the world.

As the cricketing legend bids farewell to T20I cricket, let’s have a look at the five memorable performances from Shakib Al Hasan in the shortest format of the game.

1. Bangladesh vs Ireland (Ireland tour of Bangladesh, March 29, 2023)

Bangladesh’s home series against Ireland was a fruitful one for the Tigers, as they won both the Test and T20I series. The second T20I match in Chattogram saw Shakib Al Hasan show the world why he is considered one of the best all-rounders of all time.

The veteran cricketer first showed his prowess with the bat, hitting a quickfire 38 runs from 24 deliveries to take Bangladesh’s total to 202/3. He was much more devastating with the ball, taking five wickets for just 22 runs to decimate the Irish batting order.

Shakib, who was adjudged as man of the match, dismissed five of the six top-order batters of Ireland to end their chase at 125/9, winning the match by 77 runs.

2. Bangladesh vs Australia (Australia tour of Bangladesh, August 09, 2021)

Australia’s tour of Bangladesh, played under the cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic, was a massive success for the home team as they won the T20I series 4-1. Their scintillating form was most on display in the last T20I match in Mirpur.

In the low-scoring pitch, Bangladesh managed a measly 122/8 in the first innings, in what looked like a possible consolation win for the Baggy Greens. However, Shakib, who was already chosen as the player of the series, had other plans.

The off-spinner dismissed Matthew Wade at 22 runs, and then went on to dismiss the bulk of the Australian middle order. He ultimately ended the innings with a figure of 4/9, as the Aussies were bowled out for 62.

3. Afghanistan vs Bangladesh (Bangladesh Twenty20 Tri-Series, September 21, 2019)

Bangladesh went into the match against Afghanistan on the back of a win against Zimbabwe, and gave Rashid Khan and Co. a cricketing lesson in match six of the Tri-Series in Chattogram.

After a lukewarm performance with the ball, where he managed to take just one wicket, Shakib shone with the bat while chasing down a respectable total of 138/7. The number three batter scored 70 runs from just 45 balls to fire Bangladesh to its target with six deliveries remaining, winning the man of the match award.

4. Bangladesh vs West Indies (West Indies tour of Bangladesh, December 20, 2018)

In the second T20I match in Mirpur, Bangladesh had their solitary win in the T20I series against West Indies courtesy of a superb performance from their then-captain Shakib Al Hasan.

The skipper led from the front, scoring an unbeaten 43-run innings in just 26 deliveries to post a formidable total of 211/4. However, few teams are as capable of chasing down targets as West Indies, who had won the T20 World Cup just two years prior.

However, Shakib Al Hasan was a match for the Windies batting order, taking five crucial wickets and conceding only 20 runs, being Bangladesh’s only bowler to have an economy rate of less than 6.00. Shakib’s heroics restricted West Indies to a total of just 175, winning the match by 36 runs.

5. Bangladesh vs Pakistan (ICC World Twenty20, September 25, 2012)

Bangladesh’s clash against Pakistan in the Group D match at Pallekele was a heartbreaking one for the Tigers, as they failed to qualify for the final eight after losing the match by 8 wickets.

However, despite the losing effort, Shakib Al Hasan was in exemplary form with the bat. After both of Bangladesh’s openers disappointed, Shakib scored his career’s highest score of 84 from 54 balls. His effort took Bangladesh’s total to 175/6.

However, Pakistan was in fine form in the ICC T20I series and aided by 72-run innings from Imran Nazir, chased down the target with eight balls remaining. The Bangladesh skipper, despite his heroics with the bat, could not recreate the magic with the ball and failed to take his team over the line in the series.