Pratheesh sets Sharjah Stadium ablaze

It was an innings never expected from someone so young. Pratheesh Rajpal, Kuwait team's skipper, set the Sharjah Cricket Stadium ablaze yesterday with a whirlwind 196 off just 86 balls in their opening match of the Asia Cup under-15 tournament against Qatar.

Batting at No. 5, Pratheesh hit 17 boundaries and 14 sixes which overshadowed some of the finest hard-hitting knocks by Test players at this venue.

In fact, he has scored two runs more than the highest individual score in a one-day international set by Pakistan's Saeed Anwar (194 against India in 1996-97).

He has also hit more sixes than Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya and Pakistan's Shahid Afridi, both of whom hold the record for the maximum sixes (11) in a one-day international.

Though Pratheesh's innings was not in a one-day international, he can be proud of the fact that he has broken both the existing world records in an international match.

"I am really delighted with my knock. Frankly, I did not expect to score so much when I went out to bat. My plan was to stay and get a good score for my team," said Pratheesh.

Though he missed the double hundred, Pratheesh is not disappointed about it.

"I am not sad at missing that magic figure. I hope to do that some other time," he said confidently. Pratheesh was adjudged leg before to Faisal Noor.

Pratheesh is thankful to the Kuwait cricket authorities for having given him this opportunity. "I am grateful to our cricket board in appointing me the captain, and am delighted to have lived up to their expectations."

Reveling in the biggest knock of his young career, this youngster from the Southern Indian state of Kerala said, "Until this knock, my highest was 123 against Oman in the Gulf Cup." He has been playing cricket in Kuwait for the last six years.

"I started playing cricket by watching it on television. My coach, Kaleemul Hassan Khaka helped me improve my batting. I also play for the Three B's cricket team in Kuwait's domestic cricket," said Pratheesh, a ninth grader in the Gulf Indian School, Kuwait.