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Shakib joins the 500 T20 wickets club
Shakib Al Hasan added yet another feather to his illustrious career as he picked up his 500th T20 wicket. And he didn’t stop there.
Shakib came into the game between his Antigua and Barbuda Falcons and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in CPL 2025 one shy of the landmark.
Introduced for the first time in the 15th over of the innings, he nearly reached the milestone on the third delivery when Jayden Seales took a lovely catch on the boundary only for it to be ruled as a six when replays revealed the fielder had stepped on the boundary cushion.
Shakib created another chance in the same over and this time he made no mistake, completing a return catch to dismiss Mohammad Rizwan and become just the fifth bowler in T20 history to reach the 500-wicket mark. He struck a further two times in his next over to finish the match with 502 wickets.
With this achievement, Shakib joins an elite club of bowlers to have taken 500 wickets or more in T20 cricket – Rashid Khan (660), Dwayne Bravo (631), Sunil Narine (590) and Imran Tahir (554).
But what sets Shakib apart from the rest is his exceptional all-round ability. He is now the only player in T20 history to have completed the double of 7000 runs and 500 wickets. The closest anyone has come to this incredible feat is Dwayne Bravo, who ended his career with 6970 runs and 631 wickets. Andre Rusell who has scored 9361 runs is nearing the 500-wicket mark, currently at 487.
Shakib’s legacy is further elevated by his nine Player of the series awards in T20s, the most by any cricketer. He stands ahead of players like Virat Kohli (8) and Wanindu Hasaranga (7).
Among spinners, no player has taken more five-wicket hauls in T20s than Shakib, who has achieved the feat five times. This puts him in joint second place overall with Lasith Malinga, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Tahir and Shaheen Shah Afridi, who are all trailing David Wiese (7).
One of Shakib’s most unforgettable spells came in the inaugural CPL season in 2013 when he ripped through Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel with astonishing figures of 6 for 6. He took another six wicket haul playing for Prime Bank Cricket Club later in the year in the Victory Day T20 Cup that made him just the second bowler after Ajantha Mendis to claim multiple six-wicket hauls in T20 cricket. A similar feat was later on achieved by Arzan Nagwaswalla in 2023.
Building on its success in seizing major narcotic stocks in 2025, the Navy continued to support the “A Nation United” National Mission in 2026. In continuation of these efforts, during an
operation conducted on the high seas south of Sri Lanka, the Navy apprehended eleven (11) suspects aboard two local multi-day fishing trawlers suspected of drug smuggling.
Based on shared information, by the Sri Lanka Navy and Police, this special operation was conducted off the southern coast, deploying the Navy‟s Offshore Patrol Vessels. The operation
resulted in the interception of a multi-day fishing trawler suspected of smuggling narcotics, and the apprehension of five (05) suspects on board.
During further operations in the same area, naval units seized another multi-day fishing trawler (01), along with communication equipment and six (06) additional suspects, also believed to be involved in drug smuggling.
This morning (25 Jan 26), the two intercepted fishing trawlers, along with fourteen (14) sacks laden with suspected narcotics and the suspects, were brought to the Dikovita Fisheries Harbour.
An expert examination by the Police Narcotic Bureau confirmed that the fourteen (14) sacks contained more than 184 kilograms of heroin and over 112 kilograms of ‘Ice’ (crystal methamphetamine).
The Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General (Retd) Aruna Jayasekara, the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, and the Inspector General of Police, Priyantha Weerasuriya, inspected the narcotics at the Dikovita harbour.
The Deputy Minister of Defence said that the current administration has initiated several projects for national development. As a flagship initiative, under the directives and guidance of the President, and under the supervision of the
Ministry of Defence, well-coordinated anti-narcotic raids have been launched.
This effort, part of “A Nation United” National Mission, involves the tri-forces, police, and all intelligence agencies working together under a coordinated plan to ensure that drug smugglers have no opportunity to bring narcotics into the country, he opined. He further stated that despite the national disaster situation, the state machinery, including the tri-forces, the police, and the public at large, remains united in rebuilding the nation, no room will be left for drug trafficking, which poses a severe threat to national security and public safety. Those
who engage in or support drug trafficking, under the cover of fishing activities, will find no escape, he added.
The Deputy Minister also reaffirmed that the tri-forces, police, and all law enforcement agencies are fully committed to their duty of suppressing this menace.
The Deputy Minister of Defence reported that, throughout 2025, a series of highly successful operations were conducted leading to numerous arrests. This was achieved through close coordination and mutual cooperation among the tri-services, the police, the Special Task Force, Police Narcotics Bureau, local law enforcement and international agencies. He noted that this
same spirit of cooperation and commitment has continued into 2026, resulting in the seizure of a large stockpile of drugs.
On behalf of the Honourable President, he extended gratitude to all who contributed to these efforts, specifically acknowledging the Commander of the Navy, the Inspector General of Police, the Police Narcotic Bureau, and the crews of the Navy’s Offshore
Patrol Vessels.
Moreover, the Deputy Minister declared that drug smuggling has become a national crisis, fueled by youth involvement and social crime. With borders secured under the “Nation United” National Mission, he warned traffickers to cease operations and urged users to abandon the destructive habit.
The Deputy Minister urged the public to report suspected drug smugglers to law enforcement via the hotlines 1818 or 1997 and also commended the role of media institutions and journalists in raising public awareness about the dangers of narcotics through responsible reporting.
Meanwhile, the two (02) multi-day fishing trawlers, along with a haul of narcotics, eleven (11) suspects, and communication equipment, were handed over to the Police Narcotic Bureau for
further investigation and legal proceedings.
Tanzania 131 in 38.3 overs (Acrey Pascal 55; Nihar Parmar 4-30, Nikhil Pol 3-23) lost to Japan 136/1 in 28.2 overs (Nihar Parmar 53*, Taylor Waugh 47) by nine wickets
[Cricbuzz]
New Zealand 135 in 36.2 overs (RS Ambrish 4-29, Henil Patel 3-23) lost to India 130/3 in 13.3 overs (Vaibhav Suryavanshi 40, Ayush Mhatre 53) by 7 wickets [DLS Method]
[Cricbuzz]
Three arrested with narcotics valued at Rs123 million at BIA
Navy intercepts 02 narcotics-laden trawlers with 11 suspects in southern seas
Indonesian Naval Ship ‘KRI SULTAN ISKANDAR MUDA – 367’ departs island
U19 World Cup: Japan defeat Tanzania by nine wickets
U19 World Cup: Ambrish’s four-fer powers India to third straight win
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