Afghanistan legend Mohammad Nabi batted with his son Eisakhil on Sunday, January 11 in a BPL match making them the first father-son pair to bat together in a top level T20 league. They won the match and Eisakhil played a match-winning knock in the BPL. Eisakhil made 92 for Noakhali Express against Dhaka in Sylhet. It was Eisakhil’s first match in the Bangladesh Premier League, having made his competitive debut three years back. Nabi has always said in interviews that he would love to play matches with his son and that dream came true on Sunday.
Mohammad Nabi presented Eisakhil with the Noakhali cap before the toss took place. Noakhali team had lost their first six matches and hence Eisakhil got a chance in the XI for this game. He is the 20th player they have used in this tournament. He proved this decision was right as he smashed seven fours and five sixes in his innings, having added 53 runs for the fourth wicket with Nabi. He had earlier put on 101 for the opening stand with Soumya Sarkar.
Eisakhil’s batting was very impressive and he showed glimpses of his dad in some of those stoles he played. Eisakhil was a bit aggressive as he started off with square cuts and flicks. He played a pull and showed his range was very good. Nabi joined his son in the middle and they started batting together in the 14th over. Rahmanullah Gurbaz who was playing for Dhaka Capitals, got the father-son duo to hug as soon as they got together in the middle. There was plenty of encouragement from Mohammad Nabi, as Eisakhil continued to blaze away in the partnership. Eisakhil was also seen explaining to Nabi about how he executed certain shots, particularly the straight sixes. WATCH: Mohammad Nabi smashes five sixes vs Sri Lanka in last over of innings; helps Afghanistan reach 169/8
Nabi was dismissed for 17 off 13 balls, before falling to Abdullah Al Mamun. Later Eisakhil lost his wicket to Mohammad Saifuddin in the following over. Nabi has seen enough of Eisakhil in competitive matches, having played six matches against him in his short career. A video clip of Eisakhil hitting Nabi for a six went viral last year in the Nepal Premier League.
The pair has also been training together in the BPL. Nabi arrived late for Noakhali and spent much time in the training ground with his son. Nabi also did some bowling to Eisakhil in the nets. Eisakhil’s performance in this game has ensured that he will be playing more matches with his father in this league during the upcoming games. Later after the match, both Nabi and his son Eisakhil did the post match press conference together.
