Ace Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan made an impressive debut in his second season in the KFC Big Bash Twenty20 League as his team, Melbourne Renegades, strolled to a comfortable 37-run win over Hobart Hurricanes at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart yesterday.
Asked to bat first, the Renegades posted a challenging 163/7 in their allotted 20 overs with Shakib scoring 14 off 12 balls with the help of two boundaries. Later, the Hurricanes were bundled out for 126 in 19.2 overs with Shakib scalping 2/33 from his quota of four overs. Shakib also took a catch off the bowling of Nicholas Winter to dismiss last-man Xavier Doherty.
Despite posting 163 on the board, the Renegades were in a spot of bother early as they lost both their openers – Matthew Wade (two) and Aaron Finch (five) – cheaply. English cricketer Ben Stokes, making his debut for the Renegades, rescued his side from further peril with a blistering knock of 77 off just 37 balls.
The 23-year old Englishman smashed five sixes and eight fours and alongside Callum Ferguson (31), added 86 runs for the third wicket.
Stokes then made way for Shakib in the 12th over of the Renegades’ innings.
The poster boy of Bangladesh cricket started well with the bat striking two fours before he was dismissed by Doherty. Shakib’s well-timed stroke went straight into the throat of George Bailey, the Hurricanes skipper, at the cover region. For the Hurricanes, paceman Ben Hilfenhaus bagged three wickets while leg-spinner Cameron Boyce took two wickets.
Defending 164, the Renegades’ skipper Finch handed over the ball to Shakib to start off proceedings. Having failed with the willow, the 27-year old all-rounder capitalised the opportunity. First, the left-arm spinner clean bowled English cricketer Tim Bresnan before accounting for the wicket of Doherty.
Bailey was the highest scorer for the Hurricanes with 20 but no other batsmen were able to cross 17.
Besides Shakib, Winter (3/19), Fawad Ahmed (2/13) and Peter Siddle (2/15) were also among the wickets.
With this victory, the Renegades moved from bottom to second-bottom with four points from five matches while the Hurricanes are sixth in the eight-team standings with the same number of points from the same number of matches as the Renegades. The Renegades’ next match is scheduled for this Saturday against Melbourne Stars.
