Watch: Shoaib Malik receives guard of honour in his 500th T20 match during Bangladesh Premier League

Pakistan veteran and former skipper Shoaib Malik was honored with a special guard of honor on Friday (February 3) for achieving a remarkable milestone. The Pakistani cricketer became only the third cricketer in history to feature in 500 T20 games, which he accomplished during the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League. 

He marked his 500th T20 match on Friday during a match between Nurul Hasan-led Rangpur Riders and Dhaka Dominators, a momentous occasion that was celebrated with great fanfare.

Prior to the commencement of the match in Dhaka, the Rangpur Riders gathered near the boundary rope to pay tribute to Malik as he took the field. Accompanied by their adversaries, the Dhaka Dominators, the Rangpur Riders celebrated Malik’s remarkable achievement.

Watch:

500 T20 matches for Shoaib Malik! What an achievement. Legend #BPL2023 pic.twitter.com/0e0erCQMZ8

— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) February 3, 2023

Malik is the only player to have achieved the remarkable feat of scoring over 12,000 runs and taking 150-plus wickets in T20 cricket. He has amassed 12,280 runs in 499 games, making him the second-highest run-getter in T20s after the legendary West Indian Chris Gayle, who sits atop the leaderboard with 14,562 runs in 463 matches. 

Pollard follows in third place with 11,915 runs in 614 matches, while Australia’s Aaron Finch and India’s former skipper Virat Kohli occupy fourth and fifth place respectively, with 11,392 and 11,326 runs in 382 and 360 T20s respectively.

Talking about the match, Rangpur Riders elected to bowl first after winning the toss. Led by a remarkable performance from their captain Nurul Hasan (61), the Riders cruised past the Dominators to triumph by two wickets. As the playoffs approach, the Riders currently occupy fourth place in the points table with six victories from nine games.

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