APL 2018: Match 6, Kabul Zwanan vs Nangarhar Leopards – Statistical Highlights

Kabul Zwanan returned to winning ways as they handed a second straight defeat to Nangarhar Leopards by chasing down the 189-run target with ease. Anton Devcich’s highest T20 score helped Nangarhar to finish with 188/5 in their 20 overs. The all-rounder from New Zealand scored 94* off 58 balls with seven fours and six sixes.

Hazratullah Zazai sent the bowling side out of the game from the first over itself as struck nine sixes and 17 fours during his 55-ball 124. The left-hander brought up his fifty in 17 deliveries and got to his three-figure mark in only 44 balls. He shared a 144-run opening stand with Luke Ronchi in only 11.3 overs out of which the keeper-batsman scored only 26.

All the major stats and numbers that were recording during Kabul’s big win over Nangarhar:

7 – This T20 is only the 7th in the history of the format where both the teams had a century partnership for the first wicket. This is the first such one to be played in the UAE and the first since the New Zealand-Australia T20I in Auckland this year which was the only such instance in T20Is.

17 – Hazratullah Zazai’s 17-ball fifty is the fastest by an Afghanistan player in the Twenty20 format. The previous fastest T20 fifty by an Afghanistan player was recorded Shafiqullah Shafaq for Speen Ghar Tigers in the 2017 Shpageeza T20 against Kabul Eagles.

17 – Hazratullah Zazai’s half-century is the joint-fastest in the Twenty20 format in the UAE. Paul Stirling also scored a fifty in 17 balls against Afghanistan in the Dubai T20I in 2012. The previous fastest at Sharjah came off 19 balls by David Miller in the 2014 IPL game for KXIP against RR

44 – Zazai’s 44-ball ton is the joint fastest in the T20 games in the UAE. Rakeep Patel of Kenya brought up his century in 44 balls in the 2013 T20 game against Nepal.

124 – Hazratullah’s 124 is the highest individual score by an Afghanistan player in the T20 format. Mohammad Shahzad’s unbeaten 118 in a T20I against Zimbabwe in 2016 was the only other T20 ton by an Afghanistan player.

Shahzad’s 118* was the previous highest individual score in a T20 at Sharjah. Hazratullah’s 124 is the second highest in T20s in the UAE behind William Porterfield’s 127* for Ireland against the USA in 2013 in Abu Dhabi.

144 – The 144-run partnership between Zazai and Luke Ronchi is the joint 2nd highest partnership for any wicket in the UAE. Shane Watson and Sharjeel Khan put on 153 in the 2016 PSL game for the first wicket while Namibia’s R van Schoor and G Snyman also shared 144 for the opening wicket against Italy in 2012 in Dubai.

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