Shakib Al Hasan becomes first Bangladesh player to reach 500 T20 wickets

Shakib Al Hasan carved his name into cricketing history on Sunday, becoming the first Bangladeshi to reach 500 wickets in T20 cricket. The landmark came in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) as the 38-year-old all-rounder turned out for Antigua and Barbuda Falcons against St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. Shakib entered the match needing just one wicket to reach the milestone.

Introduced into the attack in the 15th over, he thought he had it straight away when Jayden Seales completed a fine catch on the boundary, only for replays to show the fielder had stepped on the cushion. The wait, however, was short-lived. Moments later, Shakib held on to a sharp return catch to dismiss Mohammad Rizwan, sealing his place among the game's elite.

The left-arm spinner went on to make the evening more memorable, striking twice more in his next over to finish with figures of 3 for 11 in just two overs. By the end of the night, his overall tally in the format had risen to 502. In reaching the landmark, Shakib became only the fifth bowler in T20 history to take 500 wickets. He joined Afghanistan's Rashid Khan, who leads the list with 660 scalps, West Indies stalwarts Dwayne Bravo (631) and Sunil Narine (590), along with South Africa's Imran Tahir (554). For Bangladesh, it was another proud moment delivered by their greatest cricketer.

Since his T20 debut in 2006, Shakib has been a constant presence in franchise leagues across the globe. In the Indian Premier League, he was part of Kolkata Knight Riders' title-winning squads in 2012 and 2014, playing key roles in both campaigns. In the Bangladesh Premier League, he has been even more dominant, standing as the competition's leading wicket-taker with 149 dismissals and two titles, including one as captain in 2016. His contributions to the CPL have been significant as well, dating back to his debut season in 2013 when he finished as the tournament's second-highest wicket-taker.

Sunday's contest itself was a hard-fought one. The Patriots, after a solid start, collapsed in the latter stages and posted 133. Shakib contributed with the bat too, making 25 from 18 deliveries before being stumped by Rizwan. Karima Gore's unbeaten 52 then guided the Falcons to victory with two balls to spare, keeping them at the top of the table.