Sharjah: Hazratullah Zazai drew level with Chris Gayle and Yuvraj Singh for the fastest 50 and in the process smashed six sixes in one over during Kabul Zwanan’s 21-run defeat against the Balkh Legends in the Afghanistan Premier League (APL) on Sunday.
Chasing a massive 245 for victory, Zazai took just 12 deliveries — the same as his idol Gayle and Yuvraj — only to see his Kabul Zwanan team slip to their third loss in six matches in an inconsequential group match.
The 20-year-old, who became the first Afghan cricketer to score a T20 century last week, eventually departed after making a 17-ball 62 runs as Kabul Zwanan fell short by 21 runs after reaching 223 for 7 in 20 overs. Gayle had dominated with a resounding 80 runs off 48 deliveries in the Balkh Legends’ total.
The Balkh Legends sit pretty at the top with 10 points, followed by Kabul Zwanan and Paktia Panthers with six points each. The Nangarhar Leopards have four points and the Kandahar Knights are at the bottom with two.
Action will resume on Tuesday following a rest day on Monday. The two semi-finals will be played on October 19 and 20 with the competition concluding with the final next Sunday.
Brief Scores
Balkh Legends def. Kabul Legends by 21 runs: Balkh Legends 244 for 6 in 20 overs (Chris Gayle 80, Dilshan Munaweera 46, Mohammad Nabi 37, Darwish Rasooli 50; Fareed Ahmad 2 for 48, Wayne Parnell 1 for 30, Rashid Khan 1 for 40) Kabul Legends 223 for 7 in 20 overs (Hazratullah Zazai 62, Luke Ronchi 47, Shahidullah Kamal 40, Colin Ingram 29; Ben Laughlin 3 for 37).
Man of the Match: Chris Gayle of Balkh Legends.
