Kathmandu: Afghanistan’s attacking batsman Mohammad Shahzad will play in the Everest Premier League (EPL) T20 cricket from the Chitwan Tigers.
He had earlier signed a contract in Chitwan but could not play in the EPL in 2020 due to Kovid. Chitwan has stated that it has given continuity to Shahzad this time.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Shahzad, who has a different style of hitting sixes, was a key player in making Afghanistan a cricketing power. The top-order right-handed batsman has been instrumental in leading Afghanistan to four Twenty20 World Cups since 2010.
His skills are not limited to limited overs cricket. In the 2010 Intercontinental Cup against Canada, he scored 214 not out in the fourth innings to help Afghanistan reach the target of 494 runs. Shahzad won the 2016 ICC Associate and Affiliate Cricket of the Year title. He is the first Afghan player to win the title.
The following year, he set a rare record by scoring two fifties in a single day at the Twenty20 International. In the Desert Twenty20 Challenge in Dubai, he scored a half-century in both the games against Oman in the afternoon and against Ireland in the evening.
Shahzad was a member when Afghanistan played its first Test against India in 2018. His 110 against the Netherlands in Amstelveen in 2009 was the Afghan’s first ODI century. His century against India in the 2018 Asia Cup is one of his special innings.
He played a total of 84 ODIs from Afghanistan and scored 2,727 runs including 6 centuries and 14 fifties. His average is above 33. Similarly, while playing 65 Twenty20 international cricket, he has scored nearly 2,000 runs at a striker rate above 134. His highest score is 131 not out in ODIs and 118 not out in T20I. Shahzad has played in Bangladesh Premier League, Pakistan Super League, Abu Dhabi Twenty-10 League and Afghanistan Premier League.
Vinita Chaudhary Bhattarai, Operations Director of Chitwan Tigers, said, “We are very excited to continue Shahzad. As an established international cricketer, his experience will inspire and empower the Tigers ‘young batting line-up.’
Similarly, Shahzad said that he was eager to rain six in Kathmandu, Chitwan said in a statement. “I am eager to make it rain in Kathmandu. Nepal’s fans are the most patient fans in the world. I am ready to entertain everyone by playing from Chitwan, ”said Mohammad Shahzad.
