Shakib Shines With Bat and Ball on Minor League Debut

Shakib Al Hasan made a sparkling debut in the United States Minor Cricket League. In his very first match, the Bangladesh all-rounder impressed with both bat and ball—scoring an unbeaten 27 off just 17 deliveries and picking up 2 wickets in 2 overs. His all-round show powered Atlanta Fire to a dominant victory.

Facing Morrisville Raptors last night, Atlanta batted first and posted 181 runs in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, the opposition folded for just 85 runs, handing Shakib’s team a massive 96-run win.

With the bat, Shakib shared a 79-run partnership with Steven Taylor. While Shakib remained not out on 27, Taylor stole the show with a blistering knock of 97 off 62 balls, smashing 12 sixes.

Shakib also shone with the ball, claiming 2 wickets in just 2 overs, though he did not complete his full quota of 4 overs. The most successful bowler for Atlanta was Sunny Patel, who returned remarkable figures of 3 wickets for just 5 runs.

Before this, Shakib had endured a modest campaign in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), where in 11 matches he scored 180 runs at an average of 20 and picked up only 6 wickets with an economy of 8.30. The familiar brilliance of the world-class all-rounder was missing there. But in the U.S. Minor League, he seemed to rediscover his old rhythm right from the start.

It is worth mentioning that Shakib has been out of the Bangladesh national team since August last year due to political unrest in the country. His last appearance in the red-and-green jersey came against Pakistan and India. Since then, he has been busy on the franchise circuit—featuring in the PSL, Global Super League, Max 60, CPL, and now beginning a new chapter in the U.S. Minor Cricket League.