Shakib shines despite MI New York defeat

Bangla Press Desk: Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan delivered an impressive all-round performance, but it was not enough to prevent MI New York from slipping to a five-wicket defeat against Washington Freedom in Major League Cricket in Dallas.

Coming at No. 8, Shakib made a useful contribution with the bat before claiming a crucial wicket, although Washington comfortably chased down the target.

Set 188 to win, Washington lost an early wicket before Shakib struck in his second over, dismissing Mitchell Owen to claim his first wicket of this season's tournament.

However, Rachin Ravindra's explosive 60 from 30 balls and an unbeaten 96 off 54 deliveries from Andries Gous turned the match decisively in Washington's favour. The pair shared a match-winning partnership of 156 for the third wicket as Washington reached the target with nine balls to spare, sealing a five-wicket victory. Shakib finished with figures of 1-24 from his three overs.

Earlier, MI New York posted 187 in their allotted 20 overs after being put into bat. Captain Nicholas Pooran returned to form with a superb 86 from 44 balls, while Kunwarjeet Singh added 26 off 20 deliveries.

Coming in towards the end of the innings, Shakib made an immediate impact with a knock of 18 from just 13 balls, including one four and one six.

MI New York remain fourth in the league standings with 10 points from 10 matches, while Washington Freedom moved up to second with 12 points from the same number of games.