APL 2018, Match 6, Kabul Zwanan vs Nangarhar Leopards Review: Zazai's century propels Kabul to a breathtaking win

Without a shadow of a doubt, the knock of the tournament came from the bat of Hazratullah Zazai, who took Kabul Zwanan single-handedly over the line chasing a pretty huge total. After recording one of the biggest run chases in the history of T20 cricket in the inaugural game, Rashid and company took the hard route to get the two points.

The Leopards had batted first in the game and Kiwi batsman Anton Devcich gave them a splendid start. His partner Najeeb Tarakai played a superb second fiddle as their partnership grew from strength to strength. The duo added a humongous 109 runs for the first wicket and set a brilliant platform for their lower order to give a proper finish.

Devcich had completed a well-deserved fifty but Tarakai fell just short. Shahidullah provided the breakthrough for Rashid Khan’s side and gave them some hope. That wicket eventually had a big impact on the final score as Nangarhar lost a little bit of the momentum after the first wicket.

Devcich kept doing his bit and didn’t stutter. Ben Cutting towards the end of the innings struck a couple of big sixes, but eventually, Rashid Khan‘s mind-boggling spell of 1/13 in 4 overs had a huge say in determining the outcome of the game.

Leopards didn’t get the finish they wanted but still scored 188 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. Devcich carried his bat through and remained unbeaten on 94. Apart from Rashid and Javed Ahmadi, the bowling card of the Zwanan was a sorrow tale.

Zazai knocks the Leopards out

In case of a few cricketers, their timing and power is so impeccable on occasions that even if they don’t catch the middle of the bat, they will get the full monty. Hazratullah Zazai certainly falls in that category and after getting a rare opportunity to open, he made the most of it.

He made an absolute mockery of the bowling attack of Leopards and stroked them to all parts of the ground. Luke Ronchi, who usually is known to be the aggressor, just remained silent at the other end and was enjoying the action in the best seat possible.

Ronchi and Zazai added 144 runs for the first wicket and the Kiwi had scored just 26 runs. That explains the level of Zazai’s destruction, who ended up registering the first century in the history of APL, a record which will be on his name till the end of time. He eventually got out after scoring 124 off 55 balls, which included 12 fours and 9 sixes.

There was some drama towards the end as Zazai’s wicket slowed things down slightly, but the Zwanan eventually got over the line and completed yet another stunning run chase.

Brief Scores

Nangarhar Leopards: 188/5 in 20 overs (Anton Devcich 94*; Rashid Khan 1/13)

Kabul Zwanan: 181/3 in 17.5 overs (Hazratullah Zazai 124, Luke Ronchi 26)

Player of the match: Hazratullah Zazai