Shakib Al Hasan becomes second-highest wicket-taker among left-arm spinners (ODIs)
Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan has attained a momentous feat in ODI cricket. One of the greatest all-rounders across formats, Shakib took his 306th ODI wicket in Bangladesh's Asia Cup 2023 opening match against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. He is now the second-highest wicket-taker among left-arm spinners in the 50-over format. Shakib broke a tie with New Zealand's Daniel Vettori. Here are the stats.
Why does this story matter?
Only three left-arm spinners have taken more than 300 wickets in ODI cricket. Interestingly, Sanath Jayasuriya, the legendary Sri Lanka batter, tops this list with as many as 323 wickets. Shakib now trails only Jayasuriya, having broken a tie with Vettori. The New Zealand all-rounder finished his career with 305 wickets. The trio is followed by Bangladesh's Abdur Razzak, who took 207 ODI scalps.
13th highest wicket-taker in ODIs
Meanwhile, skipper Shakib ended with figures worth 2/29 in 10 overs. He has now raced to 307 scalps in 236 ODIs at an impressive economy rate of 4.43. His average reads 28.88. The left-arm spinner is Bangladesh's highest and overall, the 13th highest wicket-taker in the format. He has recorded 10 four-wicket hauls and four fifers in ODI cricket.
Third-most ODI runs for Bangladesh
Besides his bowling, Shakib is also known to play crunch knocks in the format. He is currently Bangladesh's third-highest run-getter in the format, having slammed 7,216 runs at an average of 37.38. Tamim Iqbal tops this list with 8,313 runs. Shakib has nine tons and 53 half-centuries in the format. He has a healthy strike rate of 82.51.
Shakib is among the elite ODI all-rounders
Shakib is one of the only three all-rounder to achieve the double of 7,000 runs and 300 wickets in ODIs. Pakistan's Shahid Afridi (8,064 runs and 395 wickets) and Sri Lanka's Jayasuriya (13,430 runs and 323 wickets) are the other names on this list.
Bangladesh suffer a five-wicket defeat
Bangladesh had a patchy start after electing to bat. They lost four wickets before the 100-run mark. Najmul Hossain Shanto kept the visitors afloat even though they faced a batting collapse. Matheesha Pathirana took a four-wicket haul, with Bangladesh folding for 165. SL had a similar start (43/3), but Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka steadied their ship. They completed the chase in 39 overs.
