Bangladesh cricket team won a bilateral T20I series in Zimbabwe for the first time against the host nation. Shakib Al Hasan took few wickets during the series and he is currently on the verge of achieving a couple of important milestones in international cricket. The Mighty Australians will face Bangladesh in a five-match Twenty20 series next month. The veteran all-rounder is expected to reach those milestones during the contest if he stays fit and finds his usual rhythm. Two unique milestones that Shakib Al Hasan can reach during the upcoming BAN vs. AUS 2021 series are discussed in this article.

Two Unique Milestones that Shakib Can Reach in BAN vs. AUS 2021 Series

Shakib Al Hasan has achieved several milestones in his 15-year international cricket career. His remarkable consistency on the international stage has taken him to greater heights. Shakib may reach two more new milestones in the upcoming BAN vs. AUS 2021 Series. Let's take a look at these significant milestones.

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First Bangladesh Player to Take 100 T20I Wickets

The world's number one all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is just 5 wickets away from being the first Bangladeshi and only the second player in history to take 100 wickets in Twenty20 international.

Shakib Al Hasan has a chance to surpass Sri Lankan legend Lasith Malinga as the most wicket-takers in T20I cricket. Shakib needs 13 more wickets to overtake Malinga in the shorter version of the game.

Shakib Al Hasan has 95 T20I wickets at a fantastic average of 20.82 from 79 appearances. Lasith Malinga, on the other hand, grabbed 107 wickets at an average of 20.79 in 84 matches.

Read:BAN vs. AUS 2021: How Bangladesh Team Shapes Up Without Tamim, Mushfiqur?

Here is the list of the top five most wicket-takers in T20I

Player	Matches	Wkts	BBI	Ave	Econ	5W
Lasith Malinga	84	107	5/6	20.79	7.42	2
Tim Southee	83	99	5/18	25.17	8.39	1
Shahid Afridi	99	98	4/11	24.44	6.63	0
Rashid Khan	51	95	5/3	12.63	6.21	2
Shakib Al Hasan	79	95	5/20	20.82	6.82	1

Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/

First Bangladesh Player to Take 600 International Wickets

Shakib Al Hasan is just 13 wickets away from becoming the first Bangladeshi player to reach the 600-wicket milestone in international cricket. He is currently the sixth most wicket-takers among the active players. Shakib Al Hasan has taken 587 international wickets at an average of 28.64 from 352 appearances for Bangladesh. 

Read:Bangladesh vs. Australia 2021: Expected Personal Milestones to Reach

Surpassing New Zealand's Sir Richard Hadlee (589) and Australia's Mitchell Johnson (590), Shakib will become the 23rd player to take 600 wickets in international cricket if he takes those 13 wickets in the series.

If Shakib achieves this remarkable milestone during the BAN vs. AUS 2021 twenty20 contest, he would also become the only cricketer in history to have 12,000 runs and 600 wickets in international cricket.

Here is the list of the top six most international wickets (active players)

Player	Matches	Wkts	BBI	Ave	Econ	5W
James Anderson	375	904	7/42	27.51	3.33	32
Stuart Broad	325	766	8/15	27.88	3.46	19
Dale Steyn	265	699	7/51	23.37	3.78	29
Ravi Ashwin	236	615	7/59	26.46	3.40	30
Tim Southee	305	603	7/33	29.70	4.00	16
Shakib Al Hasan	352	587	7/36	28.64	3.85	22

Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/

Read Mushfiqur to miss T20 series against Australia over isolation norms

Bottom Line

Shakib Al Hasan has more than enough extra motivation to upset a fiery Australian team. The world's finest all-rounder is on the cusp of accomplishing two significant milestones as a bowler. Apart from Shakib, a number of players from both Australia and Bangladesh will be able to reach personal milestones if they perform well during the BAN vs. AUS 2021 twenty20 international series. However, the primary goal for both sides should be to win the series. Bangladesh's ICC T20I team rankings will improve if they clinch the series against Australia.