Shahbaz Ahmed shone bright in his second match of Bengal T20 league 2026, as he picked up four wickets against Sobisco Smashers Malda at Eden Gardens on Monday. Shrachi Rhar Tigers were coming off of a heavy defeat against Servotech Siliguri Strikers in their first game, where Mohammad Shami had bagged four wickets to completely dismantle the SRT batting line-up. However, captain Shahbaz Ahmed led from the front and ensured a smooth start for his team in their encounter with Malda.
Shahbaz, who played for Lucknow Super Giants in the recently concluded IPL and picked up five wickets in as many matches, looked to contain runs right from the outset while picking up wickets at the same time. On a pitch that is traditionally supposed to favour the batters, Shahbaz picked up two wickets in the powerplay itself. He was getting considerable turn and ended up taking the third wicket by dismissing Kaif Ahmed right after being hit for a boundary in the first ball of his third over. Immediately after, he came in during the 15th over and picked up the wicket of Viraj Krishna.
Additionally, Shahbaz captaincy also earned praise since the field placements were impeccable, plans were executed perfectly and he rotated his bowlers really well to ensure a smooth first innings for his team.
His ODI debut for India had come against South Africa in Ranchi in 2022. A year later, he was also a part of the team which went on to take part in the Hangzhou Asian Games, where India won the gold medal. He has played only two T20Is as of now and has managed to pick up two wickets while operating at an economy of 7.68. In his debut match against South Africa, he picked up the wicket of Janneman Malan while maintaining a healthy economy rate of 5.40 and in his last T20I match yet versus Afghanistan in 2023 he had once again, picked up one wicket, Karim Janat, with an economy rate of 8.40.
He additionally smashed 31 runs off 17 balls coming down the order.
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