Shakib Al Hasan's Major League Cricket Debut Begins with a Win

Shakib Al Hasan, the star all-rounder from Bangladesh, made his debut in Major League Cricket (MLC). Today (July 6), at 6:30 AM Bangladesh time, Shakib’s team, Los Angeles Knight Riders, took to the field. They marked a successful start in MLC 2024 by defeating Texas Super Kings by 12 runs.

After losing the toss at Dallas’s Grand Prairie Stadium, Los Angeles Knight Riders batted first. Openers Jason Roy (2 off 11 balls) and Sunil Narine (2 off 3 balls) were dismissed early, leading to Shakib Al Hasan coming in at number 4.

Shakib built a partnership of 39 runs with Unmukt Chand, who was batting at number 3. Shakib scored 18 runs off 13 balls, including 3 fours, before being caught by Faf du Plessis off Aaron Hardie. Following Shakib’s departure, Unmukt, supported by Nitish Kumar (26 off 17 balls), Andre Russell (10 off 5 balls), and Daryn Dupavillon (13* off 13 balls), pushed the team’s score forward. Before getting out in the final over, Unmukt scored 68 runs off 45 balls, hitting 6 fours and 3 sixes, showcasing his skills as the former captain who led India to an Under-19 World Cup victory.

Corné Dry’s quick cameo of 12* runs off 4 balls helped Los Angeles Knight Riders to post 162 runs for 7 wickets in 20 overs. For Texas Super Kings, Zia-ul-Haq, Aaron Hardie, and Marcus Stoinis took 2 wickets each, while Gerald Coetzee took 1.

In response, Texas Super Kings scored 30 runs in 4.3 overs in their opening partnership. Captain Faf du Plessis was out after scoring 14 runs off 14 balls. However, the other opener, Devon Conway, made a fifty, scoring 53 runs off 39 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes before being bowled by Ali Khan.

Shakib Al Hasan contributed by dismissing Aaron Hardie, caught by Unmukt Chand. Shakib bowled 3 overs, conceding 32 runs and taking 1 wicket. Ali Khan played a crucial role with the ball for Los Angeles, taking 4 wickets for 33 runs in his 4 overs. Spencer Johnson took 2 wickets for 18 runs, while Shakib and Sunil Narine took 1 wicket each.

Texas Super Kings managed to score 150 runs for 8 wickets in their 20 overs, leading to a 12-run victory for Los Angeles Knight Riders.

In their next match in Major League Cricket, Shakib Al Hasan’s Los Angeles Knight Riders will face San Francisco Unicorns on July 8 at 6:30 AM Bangladesh time.