Bangladesh’s left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman continues to weave his magic with the ball. In the ongoing International T20 League in the United Arab Emirates, Mustafizur had claimed at least one wicket in each of the first six matches. Today, in his seventh outing, he delivered a spellbinding performance, taking three wickets in just four balls, decisively turning the match in favour of his team, the Dubai Capitals.
At Abu Dhabi’s iconic Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Dubai Capitals bowled out the Gulf Giants for 156 runs and chased the target comfortably, finishing with four balls and six wickets to spare.
Winning the toss, Dubai Capitals opted to field. Captain Mohammad Nabi handed the ball to Mustafizur in the second over. Bowling with the new ball, Mustafizur was slightly expensive, conceding 13 runs as James Vince and other Gulf Giants batsmen looked positive.
Nabi returned the ball to Mustafizur in the 14th over when the Giants were 110/3. On the first ball, James Vince hit a boundary, followed by a wide. But on the next legal delivery, Mustafizur struck. Vince, attempting an off-cutter on the off-side, edged the ball to the wicketkeeper after scoring 36 runs off 34 balls.
The next ball saw Mustafizur remove Azmatullah Omarzai, who had taken a single, after a defensive off-cutter found the inside edge and bowled the Afghan batsman for 43 from 26 deliveries.
Mustafizur’s third wicket in the over was perhaps his most stunning. A perfectly pitched ball outside leg stump evaded the outside edge of right-hander Sean Dickson, crashing into the stumps.
He appealed for LBW against Mark Adair on the next delivery, but the umpire turned it down, denying him a hat-trick. By the end of the over, Gulf Giants were 116/6, having lost three wickets in four balls.
Returning in the 18th over, Mustafizur conceded 11 runs. He could not claim the fourth wicket, as an easy catch of captain Nabi’s attempt at Ian Afzal Khan was dropped.
What followed was remarkable: on the third, fourth, and fifth balls of the same over, three more wickets fell via run-outs, leaving the Gulf Giants all out. None of these wickets were credited to Mustafizur.
Finishing with figures of 3.5 overs, 34 runs, 3 wickets, Mustafizur’s brilliance earned him the Player of the Match award. With this performance, his tally in seven matches now stands at 14 wickets, further solidifying his reputation as the ‘Cutter Master’ of the tournament.
Match Summary Table:
| Player | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Economy | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mustafizur Rahman | 3.5 | 34 | 3 | 9.71 | Dubai Capitals |
| Gulf Giants | – | 156 all out | – | – | – |
| Dubai Capitals | – | 157/4 | – | – | Won |