T10 League: Mohammad Shahzad smashes 12-ball fifty; Rajputs chase 95 runs in 4 overs

The second edition of the T10 League was off to a flier! Afghanistan’s wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad smashed a 12-ball half century and went to be unbeaten on 74 from just 16 balls as Rajputs chased down 95 runs in four overs to thrash Sindhis by 10 wickets in the opener at Sharjah on Wednesday.

Shahzad’s fierce knock that boasted of a strike-rate of 462.50 was loaded with eight huge sixes and six boundaries. Former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum, another limited overs expert, faced just eight deliveries and was unbeaten on 21.

However, Shahzad grabbed the spotlight. He started off with a single off the first ball and then smashed his next four balls for boundaries and raced to 19 off 5 balls.

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Shahzad then clobbered Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera for three sixes and three fours in his first over to reach his fifty in just 12 balls. At the end of the Perer over, Shahzad was batting on 56 from 13 balls. Rajputs needed just 23 runs to win with seven overs still to play.

The first three balls of the fourth over bowled by Fawad Ahmed went for five runs. Shahzad then got the strike and finished the match with three successive sixes.

Shahzad not only broke the record for the fastest fifty in the tournament but also hit the highest score in the tournament’s history.

Earlier, Rajputs captain McCullum won the toss and asked Sindhis to bat. Sindhis were off to a wobbly start, but thanks to skipper Shane Watson’s 20-ball 42, they ended up with 94/6 in their 10 overs.

Brief scores: Rajputs 96/0 in four overs (Mohammad Shahzad 74* off 16, Brendon McCullum 21 off 8) beat Sindhis 94/6 (Shane Watson 42; Munaf Patel 3/20) by 10 wickets