It is not often a statistical footnote feels genuinely warm, yet Sunday afternoon in Sylhet managed it. Mohammad Nabi and his 23-year-old son Hassan Eisakhil became, as far as anyone can tell, the first father-and-son pair to bat together in a top-tier T20 league. They shared 53 brisk runs, nudged Noakhali Express to their first win of the season, and then got on with packing the kit bags.
Noakhali had lost six on the bounce and, in truth, looked a little desperate. Eisakhil – the 20th player the franchise have tried in this campaign – was finally handed a cap by his father before the toss. Sixty balls later the younger left-hander walked off with 92 against Dhaka Capitals, his highest score in any professional cricket, having hit seven fours and five sixes.
Soumya Sarkar ensured the early tempo by helping put on 101 for the first wicket, but from the 14th over the spotlight narrowed. Nabi, a veteran of 350-plus T20s, joined his son. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, keeping for Dhaka and long-time Afghanistan team-mate of Nabi, wandered over and encouraged the two to share a quick hug – not something you see in most powerplays.
The pair worked the angles straight away. Eisakhil did the heavy lifting, carving Abdullah Al Mamun behind point and lifting Saifuddin back over his head with that languid, low-grip swing which looks uncannily like his father’s. Nabi’s 17 from 13 balls felt quietly efficient rather than explosive, though it still pushed the rate far enough beyond ten an over to keep fielders deep.
“The old man just told me to keep my head still,” Eisakhil mentioned in the post-match TV chat, sounding half-sheepish, half-delighted. “I’ve heard that since under-11 cricket so nothing really changes.”
Nabi, meanwhile, kept the occasion low-key. “Nice moment, of course,” he said. “But the team really needed two points.”
Those points arrived once the bowlers held Dhaka to 175 for 8, 26 short of the target. The match situation meant the sentimental subplot never overshadowed the result, which probably suited Noakhali management after a fortnight of criticism.
Analytically, Eisakhil’s innings was notable for his calmness against pace. He scored 62 of his runs in front of square, a sign he was picking length early. Even the top-edged pull that landed beyond fine leg hinted at intent rather than panic. Nabi’s influence, meanwhile, surfaced in the way his son manipulated strike during the partnership – five singles turned off the first ball of an over is small beer until you need them done reliably.
The broader picture for Noakhali is simple enough. They have three matches left and must win at least two to bother the top four, so continued experiments are hardly a luxury. Sticking with the same XI – father and son included – would at least give them a starting template.
Away from the numbers, the pair have been hard to separate all tournament. Nabi arrived late, but once on the park he was regularly spotted tossing half-volleys in the warm-ups or chatting through angles with Eisakhil during drinks. One clip of his son belting him for six in a domestic match last year still does the rounds on social media; both claim it gets over-analysed.
It is easy, and perhaps a bit lazy, to label any such story “feel-good”. Professional cricket remains a results business, especially in a league where overseas slots are contested. Yet it is worth pausing to note that in a format driven by auction numbers and net run-rates, a father stepping in at No.5, nodding to his son at the other end and quietly compiling a match-winning stand, retains the power to matter.
Whether Noakhali climb the table from here is almost secondary. For now, scoreboard and scrapbook share the same line: Nabi 17 (13), Eisakhil 92 (60), partnership 53 off 30 – first father and son to do the job together in a major T20 league. That will sit nicely at the top of the family WhatsApp group for a while yet.
