Ahead of the T20 World Cup, Pakistani opener Shadab Khan has made a clear statement about his form. He played a key role in Sydney Thunder’s first win of the 15th season with a brilliant display of spin bowling in the Big Bash League.
Sydney Thunder defeated Brisbane Heat by 34 runs in a match played at Manuka Oval on Monday. The decisive turning point of the match turned out to be Shadab Khan’s disastrous bowling, which did not give Brisbane’s batting line-up a chance to recover.
Earlier, Sydney Thunder laid a strong foundation by batting first. Openers Sam Consts and Matthew Gilks started the innings confidently and put on a century partnership. Thanks to the good batting of both the batsmen, the team scored 193 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 20 overs distributed.
Sam Consts scored 63 runs off 45 balls, his innings including 8 fours, while Matthew Gilks played an attacking innings of 76 runs off 48 balls to put the team in a strong position. In the final overs, wicketkeeper-batsman Sam Billings improved the score further with 25 off 11 balls which included 2 fours and 2 sixes.
For Brisbane Heat, Shaheen Shah Afridi took one wicket for 35 runs in 4 overs, while Jake Wildermuth took two wickets and Matthew Cohenman took one wicket.
In pursuit of the target, the Brisbane Heat team looked under pressure and scored just 159 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in the allotted 20 overs. None of the batsmen could score a half-century, mainly due to the skillful spin bowling of Shadab Khan.
🇵🇰 Shadab Khan takes four wickets for the first time in Big Bash! #BBL15 pic.twitter.com/jWwHGHs1Fk
– KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) 22 December 2025
Shadab Khan targeted the top order and took the crucial wickets of Colin Munro, Jake Wildermuth and Matt Renshaw. Hugh Webben provided some resistance with a 26-ball 30, while Max Bryant added an 18-ball 25, but the other batsmen did not fare well.
At the end of the match, Shadab Khan was named the most outstanding player of Sydney Thunder. He took 4 wickets for just 24 runs in 4 overs and gave his team their first win of the season.
After this performance of Shadab Khan, several praises started on social networks, as well as a new discussion about his participation in the national team of the T20 World Cup next year. Currently, Shadab Khan is trending in social media and sports section of X.
