Mohammad Shahzad creates history as Afghanistan seal T20I series against Zimbabwe: Afghanistan cricket has been growing in leaps and bounds since they made their debut entry in Word Cup 2015.
After winning the five-match ODI series 3-2 against Zimbabwe in the 2015-16 series, they went on to establish their supremacy over the African nation in the shortest format also. They won the 2-match T20I series, 2-0.
Winning the first encounter at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on 8th January, 2016, by 5 runs, they went on to win the second and final encounter by a massive 81 runs.
Put in to bat, Afghanistan succeeded in putting up massive 215 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Wicket-keeper-opener, Mohammad Shahzad, who had scored a 17-ball 33 runs in the first match, plundered 118* runs in just 67 deliveries at a strike rate of 176.11 with 18 fours and 8 sixes, remaining unbeaten till the end.
This is Afghanistan’s highest score in T20 format while Ireland’s 225/7 against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi in November, 213, remains the highest T20I score by an Associate Nation.
Shahzad’s massive innings helped Afghanistan to pile up that huge score. He scored 55% of his team’s tally.
Chasing 216 runs for a win in 20 overs, Zimbabwe could score only 134 runs in 18.1 overs with significant contributions from Hamilton Masakadza (63), Peter Moor (35) and Tendai Chisoro (10).
Afghan bowlers, Dawlat Zadran, Amir Hamza, and Sayed Shirzad claimed 2 wickets each.
For his wonderful performance Shahzad was awarded both the Player of the Match and Player of the Series Awards.
Shahzad who had amassed 237 runs in the five ODIs, which included an unbeaten 131* runs in the second encounter, finished with 151 runs in the two T20I games.
His century in the second T20I game came up in just 52 deliveries, which is the sixth fastest in T20Is.
In the process of his incredible innings, Shahzad became the first player from Afghanistan to score a T20I century. The earliest highest score of 69 runs off 54 deliveries stood in the name of Usman Ghani, who scored against Oman in Abu Dhabi in November, 2015.
He became the second batsman from an Associate Nation to register a T20I century following Richie Berrington of Scotland who scored 100 off 58 deliveries against Bangladesh at The Hague in July 2012.
Shahzad’s score of 118* is the fourth highest individual innings in T20 format. The pack is led by Aaron Finch (156) followed by Brendon McCullum (123) and Faf du Plessis (119).
His 118* is the highest individual score by a batsman ‘carrying the bat’. This bettered the performance of Richard Levi of South Africa who scored 117* runs, carrying the bat, against New Zealand at Hamilton in 2012.
Mohammad Shahzad, with his current form has a very big role to play in the furtherance of cricket in the troubled nation.