A feat truly fitting of Shakib

The Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan looked visibly under the weather when he came to the press conference yesterday after Bangladesh won the second T20I to level the series. The skipper skipped practice the day before, owing to slight temperature and yet when push came to shove, he performed at his best in the do-or-die clash and in doing so attained an unique feat that is possibly only fitting of Shakib.

Having featured in the highest fifth-wicket stand for Bangladesh in T20Is alongside Mahmudullah Riyad with a 26-ball 42-run knock, he went on to bag career-best figures of 5 for 20 in four overs as Bangladesh picked up a crucial win to level the series, and he did it all while fighting cold and a stomach issue.

In doing so, he became the only cricketer to bag five wickets in a T20I match while also scoring 40 plus runs. A remarkable feat for any cricketer and Shakib who is now third in T20I all-rounder rankings said that taking five wickets in the shortest format was special.

"I feel really good. Since whatever happens for the first time always feels special. Among the three formats, I didn't have the record in one format. Now I have it in all three formats," said the Tiger skipper who bagged five wickets in a T20I match for the first time.

The special cricketer became just the third bowler from Bangladesh to bag five wickets in a T20I match and said it is his nature to rise to the occasion.

"When there is a challenge, it always feels good and I always try to contribute to the team. When I can't do it, sometimes it looks bad but the effort is always there," he concluded.