Mohammad Shahzad recently bagged the award for ICC Associate/Affiliate Cricketer of the Year and deservingly so, taking into account his superlative shows for Afghanistan this year. Opening the batting for his country, Shahzad got his team off to fliers on innumerable occasions with very few failures.
He has been an instrumental factor in several wins for Afghanistan in both ODI’s and T20s and he is a major reason why Afghanistan has come this far in international cricket. Apart from being a tremendous wicket keeper, the Afghani Dhoni has grown leaps and bounds as a batsman.
It’s the fag end of 2016 and we look back at some of the scintillating knocks played for his country by Shahzad during the course of the year.
#1 118 vs Zimbabwe, Sharjah
Afghanistan were locking horns with Zimbabwe in a two-match T20 series in the United Arab Emirates in the month of January. The Afghans survived a close shave in the opening match of the series, eschewing a defeat by a mere five runs.
Zimbabwe were up against it to eke out a win in order to level the series. Nevertheless, Mohammad Shahzad ruined their hopes with a belligerent knock of 118 runs from 67 balls that included ten 4’s and eight towering 6’s. He was in there for the entire length of 20 overs and carried his bat in the process.
In a team total of 215 runs, Shahzad piled on more than half of the runs with 22 runs from Mohammad Nabi being the second highest score. Unable to recover from the Shahzad blitz, Zimbabwe was bowled out for 134, which handed Afghanistan with a win by 81 runs and a series triumph by 2-0.
Needless to say, who the Man of the Match was. Shahzad was also adjudged the Player of the series with 151 runs at a strike rate of over 180.
#2 44 vs South Africa, Mumbai
The odds were expectedly stacked against Afghanistan as they faced off South Africa in a Group Stage encounter in the 2016 edition of the World T20. On a batting paradise at the Wankhede, the Proteas racked up a massive 209 in 20 overs.
Many fans from round the globe would have switched their focus from the match, assuming an Afghan drubbing. The Afghans had nothing to lose and came out all guns blazing. Mohammad Shahzad carted the Proteas bowlers with disdain and ignited hopes of an improbable chase.
In an innings of 44 from 19 balls, he set the cat among the pigeons in the Proteas dugout, muscling them for eight boundaries (three 4’s and five 6’s). Chris Morris got rid of Shahzad, but not before he enlightened the small gathering at the Wankhede.
Afghanistan eventually went down by 37 runs, but they didn’t go down without a fight. The impetus was injected by Shahzad and then carried forward by the other Afghan batsmen, but lack of experience didn’t quite help their cause.
#3 61 vs Scotland, Nagpur
The encounter with Scotland was Afghanistan’s first contest in the World T20 in 2016. It was the qualifiers to get an entry into the main contest and both Afghanistan and Scotland looked to tee off in a grand style. The Afghans won the toss and elected to bat on a placid wicket at the Jamtha stadium.
The Afghans didn’t waste time to set the ball rolling as Mohammad Shahzad took the attack to the Scottish bowlers, notifying the world about Afghanistan’s approach during the World T20. Shahzad made sure that no Scottish bowler was allowed to settle into a rhythm.
The innings of 61 from 39 deliveries kick-started both Afghanistan’s and Shahzad’s World Cup endeavour on a handsome note. The Afghans, riding on Shahzad’s half-century, posted a competitive total of 170 on the board.
Scotland, in reply, were in contention for the chunk of the game, but some crafty piece of bowling from the Afghan bowlers made sure that Scotland wasn’t allowed to get over the line. They succumbed to a defeat by 14 runs and Afghanistan registered their maiden victory of the tournament and a much-needed one.
#4 84 vs Scotland, Edinburgh
In a rain-curtailed match, Mohammad Shahzad and Afghanistan dismantled Scotland by 78 runs (Duckworth-Lewis method) and clinched the series by 1-0. Afghanistan won the toss and elected to have a crack at the Scottish bowlers.
The pitch wasn’t a belter, but Shahzad made it look like one with some scorching strokes. Though he was sedate by his standards, he churned out boundaries to keep the bowlers at bay. In most partnerships, he outscored his partners comprehensively. With eight 4’s and two 6’s, the swashbuckling batsman was right on top of his game.
Guided by Shahzad’s knock, Afghanistan crept their way up to 178/6 in 37.2 overs when rain halted play. The downpour was heavy enough to call-off Afghanistan’s innings and Scotland was set a target of 210 in 36 overs.
Scotland batsmen never attained the ascendancy during the chase as they were stiffened by some nagging piece of bowling by both the pacers and the spinners. After an impressive start, Scotland lost wickets in heaps and never recovered from the slump.
#5 81 vs Ireland, Belfast
Afghanistan has always looked upon Mohammad Shahzad for a rollicking start to the innings and Shahzad kept on obliging to the needs of the team. Ireland and Afghanistan were fighting it out in an ODI at Belfast in July with Afghanistan lead the series by 1-0.
The Afghans looked to pile on the agony for the Irish and it was commenced by yet another remarkable beginning by the hulking Mohammad Shahzad. Though the Afghans couldn’t manage a win, but it was thanks to Shahzad’s knock that they were able to give some sort of respectability to the score.
Shahzad contributed to one-third of Afghanistan’s total of 236 runs with 10 fours and astonishingly, no 6’s. The fact that Shahzad curbed himself from going for the colossal strokes showed a versatile version of him. Ireland levelled the series, but it was Shahzad, who reinforced his prominence in the Afghan batting line-up.
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