Shakib Al Hasan showed why he’s the top-ranked all-rounder in one-day international cricket by scoring a half-century and then taking a five-wicket haul to steer Bangladesh to a 62-run World Cup win over Afghanistan.
Shakib moved atop the tournament scoring list with 51 to take his tally to 476 runs, then took 5-29 to lift his tournament wicket tally to 10.
The 32-year-old left-hander is the only player other than India’s Yuvraj Singh, who took 5-31 and posted an unbeaten 50 against Ireland at Bangalore in 2011, to achieve the all-rounder double in a World Cup game. Yuvraj was voted player of the World Cup in 2011, when India won the title on home soil.
“I think the five wickets. It was important,” Shakib responded when asked for his match highlight. “Having said that, I had to work really hard for my 50 runs.”
He said he’s never been better prepared for a major tournament, so his performances are “a combination of hard work and luck.”
Shakib was involved from the fifth over Monday, going to the crease at the fall of Bangladesh’s first wicket.
He went on to post his sixth consecutive 40-plus score at the World Cup — he has two centuries — and he was the second-highest contributor to Bangladesh’s total of 262-7 against Afghanistan after Mushfiqur Rahim’s 83.
Taking wickets in three different spells, Shakib was the key contributor with the ball as Afghanistan was dismissed for 200, its seventh straight loss in the tournament.
Twitter could not stop waxing lyrical about arguably the greatest cricketer that Bangladesh has produced, so here are some of the reactions:
Igniting his own trail
Shakib Al Hasan is the first player in the World Cup history to score two centuries and claim two 4-wicket hauls.
CWC tons – v ENG and v WI in 2019
CWC 4-fers – v NZ in 2015 and v AFG in 2019#CWC19 #BANvAFG— Sampath Bandarupalli (@SampathStats) June 24, 2019
Shakib bossing the Cricket World Cup
Shakib Al Hasan has owned with #CWC19. Incredible feat. #BanvAfg — Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) June 24, 2019
Single-handedly winning games for Bangladesh
World Cup campaign on the line.
Against a hot & cold team.
Defending a middling total.@Sah75official comes up with 5/29.
Once in a lifetime cricketer.#CWC19 #AFGvBAN #OneManArmy
— Mohammad Isam (@Isam84) June 24, 2019
.@Sah75official Hero No.1 of the #WorldCup by far as yet. Beauty to get rid of Nabi, and that could be the fell blow for Afghanistan — Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) June 24, 2019
Ian Smith couldn’t have summed Bangladesh’s performance any better
Ian Stockley Smith (MBE) said on commentary: “Bangladesh are a team that has gone from us being pleasantly surprised when they played well, to us being very surprised when they don’t”. That’s a apt summation of where @BCBtigers have risen to in the world game👏👏👏.
— ian bishop (@irbishi) June 24, 2019
Greed that Bangladeshi fans won’t mind
Shakib Al Hasan is the #cwc19‘s top run-scorer and has the best bowling innings in a match. Greedy. — Isabelle Westbury (@izzywestbury) June 24, 2019
Speaking of greed, here’s a simple list of expectations for Shakib for the next game
in the next game shakib will take four catches, effect three run-outs, take the gloves and stump the rest of the batsmen..after scoring a double hundred #BANvAFG #CWC19
— Gaurav Kalra (@gauravkalra75) June 24, 2019
Shakib’s golden run
Shakib is the best Bangladesh player ever, but I do really love that he’s having that very World Cup experience of just hitting that perfectly timed golden period. It’s so fun when a player just hits an insane level of form at the point it matters most. #CWC19 — Ben Jones (@benjonescricket) June 24, 2019
Some numbers to put Shakib’s stellar show at the World Cup into context
Shakib Al Hasan today
First Bangladesh bowler to take a five-for in WC. First Bangladesh player to score 50 and take 5 wickets in an ODI. Second player, after Yuvraj Singh, to this double in a WC match. First player in WC history to score 1000+ runs and take 30+ wickets. #Legend
— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) June 24, 2019
With inputs from AP.
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Updated Date: Jun 24, 2019 23:49:45 IST