The year was 1999. India were playing Pakistan. A right-handed batsman with an aggressive intent, little footwork but tremendous hand eye co-ordination and a sheer will to dominate even the best of bowlers had made his entrance into international cricket. 17 years down the line he has left a legacy behind and redefined opening the batting in his own, entertaining way.
He was none other than former Indian opener Virender Sehwag, better known as the ‘Nawab of Najafgarh’. Nobody knew that ten years later, Mohammad Shahzad, Afghanistan’s own answer to Virender Sehwag, would burst onto the international scene.
Arrival of Afghanistan’s very own Sehwag
Sehwag is now enjoying his days off the cricket field and fans long to see another batsman who could entertain them as much as him. But just when Sehwag looked irreplaceable in the cricket world, a little man with the same intent and attitude, the same fearless approach to the best bowlers in the world, emerged out of Afghanistan with his debut against the Netherlands in 2009. He is Afghanistan’s swashbuckling opener and wicket-keeper Mohammad Shahzad.
Shahzad shatters the record books
On Thursday 14th July, he became the first Afghan player to score 1500 runs in ODI cricket. It was just another feather in his cap. He holds a number of records in associate nations batting and looks good to break more. He holds the record for most 50s in T20 Internationals by any associate nation batsman (ten). He made the fourth highest T20I score (118*) in Afghan history. He has acquired the most Man of the Match awards by an associate nation batsman (nine) in T20Is; scored the most runs of any associate nation batsman (1367 runs in 48 matches) in T20Is and hit the most sixes by an associate nation batsman (55).
A Treat to the Eyes
Sehwag’s trademark was hitting boundaries at will to any part of the ground. He could demoralise even the best bowlers in the world with his early onslaught and demolish any opposition single-handedly if he could bat out the whole innings.
The same has been seen with Mohammad Shahzad and anybody would pay to watch him bat. The way he bludgeons the bowling, the way he dances down the track to smash the ball and the way he plays those classy back foot drives and cuts from time to time, are very much like Sehwag and an absolute treat to witness.
A stalwart for Afghanistan’s batting line-up
Shahzad’s 118* off 68 balls during the tour of Zimbabwe in early 2016 is arguably the best innings of his career so far. While most of his big scores came against associate nations, he showed the world during the World T20 2016 that he is capable of taking on the big boys as well. He gave South Africa a scare when he bludgeoned his way to 40-odd chasing a total of 209 runs in the Super-10 stage.
1367 runs in 48 T20Is at an average of 29.71, including nine fifties and one century, as well as 1554 runs in 43 ODIs at an average of 37.92 that includes 4 hundreds and 7 fifties, are testimony to his consistency with the bat. Afghanistan’s meteoric rise in the ICC rankings is much due to Shahzad’s performances with the bat.
Afghanistan are scaling new heights in world cricket with each passing day. A two-tier Test system will push them forward to playing Tests as well and another chapter will begin for Shahzad also. Whether he can continue his success into Test cricket remains to be seen, but what he is doing now is nothing short of spectacular from a player coming from the smallest of nations with such limited resources. He makes his bat talk when he plays; Mohammad Shahzad is Afghanistan’s very own Sehwag.
