Shoriful ‘never thought of a hattrick’
From 6,6 to W,W,W -- the way things unfolded in the final over of the first innings between Durdanto Dhaka and defending champions Comilla Victorians yesterday was as surprising to the protagonist, Shoriful Islam, as it was to the fans who had flocked in on a holiday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium to witness the 10th edition of the Bangladesh Premier League kick off.
Having been struck for consecutive sixes in the second and third deliveries by Khushdil Shah, Shoriful went on to register his maiden hattrick in T20s as Dhaka restricted Comilla to a modest total of 143 for six in 20 overs.
"To be honest, I did not think of a hattrick. After being struck for two sixes, I was trying to make a comeback and maybe pick one or two wickets and bowl dot deliveries but I never thought of a hattrick," Shoriful, player of the match for his figures of three for 27, told the media after helping his side begin the latest edition of the country's only franchise-based T20 tournament with a convincing five-wicket win.
It was the seventh hattrick in the history of BPL and the third by a Bangladeshi.
With the aim to stop Comilla from finishing proceedings on a high, Shoriful, in fact, was asked by experienced pacer Taskin Ahmed and Dhaka skipper Mossadek Hossain to bowl slowers in order to minimise the damage.
"After I was hit for two sixes, Taskin bhai, and Mosaddek bhai told me to bring in some change of pace as there was some extra bounce on the surface," Shoriful said.
Shoriful, however, did far more than just contain runs -- he removed Khushdil, Roston Chase, and Maidul Islam Ankon to register a magnificent feat, swinging the momentum back towards Dhaka in the process.
The occasion was more special for the youngster as Shoriful's family members were among the ones applauding from the stands.
"It's a very good feeling and it's more special as my family members also came to the ground to watch the game for the first time, and I was able to register a hattrick on the same day. So, it feels even better," said Shoriful.
Shoriful has been the standout performer for Bangladesh in 2023. The left-arm seamer was the top wicket-taker for Bangladesh in ODIs last year, also making it among the highest wicket-takers' list globally in the format.
He was also among the top three wicket-takers for the Tigers in Tests and T20Is in 2023, and Shoriful is hopeful of continuing his fine run in the coming days.
"Alhamdulillah, last year went well for me and I kept that in mind while training -- that I want to start the new year similarly. The first match went well and I would like to continue that in the coming days," he added.