ICC World T20: Can Mohammad Shahzad spur Afghanistan to Super 10s?
Sunday 6 March 2016 20:10, UK
He's ranked higher than Eoin Morgan and possesses a devastating helicopter shot that might just take this ICC World Twenty20 by storm.
If it's dynamism you're after, then Afghanistan's Mohammad Shahzad is your man…
Come on then, what makes him so special?
Well, MS or Shehzad Mohammadi - as he's sometimes known - is the only Afghanistan batsman to score more than 1,000 runs in T20I cricket for starters, reaching the landmark in January against Hong Kong. He might average only a shade under 30 but his strike-rate across 41 innings is 135.66 - higher than Virat Kohli's.
Sounds decent but does he win games?
You bet. Earlier this year the opener set a new record for the highest individual score by an Associate nation in T20Is when he struck 118no off 67 balls against Zimbabwe in Sharjah, batting through the innings before claiming a couple of stumpings for good measure. That's right, he keeps wicket too and has 20 catches and 16 stumpings in T20Is so far.
OK - sounds like Scotland et al should be a bit worried…
Just a little - but the Associate nations know only too well just how devastating MS' blade can be as the 28-year-old was Afghanistan's top-scorer in the qualifying tournament last year with 171 runs at a strike rate of 176.28. Scotland made it to the final but not before they felt the full force of his talents in the competition as MS bashed 75 off just 36 balls to spur Afghanistan to a 37-run win.
So the Scots will be out for revenge on 8th March…
Of course - you should expect some first day fireworks when the two go head-to-head in the second match of the World T20 - but not just for that defeat. MS rather has an appetite for Scottish bowling, having scored 30, 55, 46, 42 and that 75 in his five innings against Scotland - that's 248 runs at an average of 49.6 in case you were wondering. Oh, and Afghanistan won all five of those matches.
Has he played in an ICC World T20 before?
Yes - this will actually be his fourth competition. His first, in 2010, wasn't too successful as Afghanistan lost to India and South Africa - the latter after MS was caught behind for two off Dale Steyn having rather unwisely sledged the paceman. MS couldn't match Luke Wright's blistering 99no when Afghanistan lost to England in 2012, Steven Finn removing him for one.
Hmm. Slim pickings on the big stage then…
Harsh, but fair. MS did leave his mark on the global stage in 2014 by smacking 68 off 53 balls against Hong Kong in 2014 - an innings that featured his famous 'helicopter' shot, shortly after he posted his fifth T20 international fifty. Aizaz Khan donated a free-hit courtesy of a no-ball and MS cashed in, whipping a full ball outside off over midwicket for six with a fulsome flourish.
Like his style. What else do I need to know?
MS spent vast swathes of his childhood playing cricket in Pakistan, having been born in a refugee camp after his family was displaced during the Soviet-Afghan War. Since returning home, cricket has made him a national celebrity - MS having claimed eight recorded T20I man-of-the-match awards during a career that has featured 59 sixes, the most in T20Is by a player representing an Associate nation.
Sky Sports is the only place you can watch all 35 games in 27 days of the 2016 ICC World T20, starting with Zimbabwe v Hong Kong on Tuesday 8th March at 9am on Sky Sports 2 HD. Or watch from £6.99 without a contract, on NOW TV.
