Twitter mocks Afghanistan's abysmal batting performance in World Cup opener against Bangladesh
The cricket world often holds reasonable expectations for less experienced teams to perform admirably on grand stages like the World Cup. However, Afghanistan, unfortunately, fell short of displaying a respectable batting performance in their opening match against Bangladesh on Saturday.
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International career
Hazratullah Zazai was born on 23 March 1998. He is a cricketer from Afghanistan. His first match for the national team was in December 2016.
In February 2019, he played an unforgettable innings against Ireland. He scored 162 runs from 62 balls without getting out. No Afghan batsman has ever scored more in a Twenty20 International. His aggressive style helped him reach this record.
- 2016 – Debut in Twenty20 International (T20I) against the U.A.E. on 16 December.
- 2018 – Played first One Day International (ODI) against Ireland on 27 August.
- 2018 – Scored the fastest T20I fifty by an Afghan player, reaching 50 runs in 22 balls against Ireland.
- 2019 – Scored 162 runs not out in a T20I match against Ireland, setting the highest individual score for an Afghan batsman in the format. This was also the second-highest T20I score worldwide after Aaron Finch's 172.
- 2019 – Set a record for the most sixes (16) in a single T20I innings.
- 2019 – Part of a record-breaking 236-run partnership for the first wicket with Usman Ghani.
- 2019 – Named in Afghanistan's squad for the Cricket World Cup.
- 2021 – Included in Afghanistan's squad for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
- 2022 – Played in the T20 World Cup but had to withdraw due to stomach and kidney issues. Gulbadin Naib replaced him. He played one match, scoring 7 runs in a loss to England.
- 2024 – Selected as a reserve player for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Later, he replaced Mujib Ur Rahman in the squad.
ODI Career
- Debut: Ireland vs Afghanistan, Belfast, 27 August 2018
- Last Match: Afghanistan vs West Indies, Lucknow, 11 November 2019
T20I Career
- Debut: U.A.E. vs Afghanistan, Dubai (DICS), 16 December 2016
- Last Match: Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan, Harare, 11 December 2024
Leagues Participation
Hazratullah Zazai played in different T20 leagues around the world. In 2018, he joined Kabul Zwanan in the Afghanistan Premier League. In 2019, he was part of Dhaka Dynamites and later moved to Rajshahi Royals for the 2019–20 season in the Bangladesh Premier League. In 2020, he played for Galle Gladiators in the Lanka Premier League. In 2021, he signed with Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League. In 2023, he joined Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League.
Afghanistan Premier League
In 2018, he joined Kabul Zwanan in the Afghanistan Premier League. He hit six sixes in one over and scored a fifty in 12 balls during a match against Balkh Legends. In 2019, he played for Dhaka Dynamites and then Rajshahi Royals in the Bangladesh Premier League. He also played for Galle Gladiators in the Lanka Premier League in 2020. In 2021, Zazai joined Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League. In 2023, he was part of Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League.
Year
|
Team
|
Notes
|
2018
|
Kabul Zwanan
|
Played in the first Afghanistan Premier League. Hit six sixes in one over and scored a 12-ball fifty.
|
2019
|
Dhaka Dynamites
|
Played in the Bangladesh Premier League.
|
2019–20
|
Rajshahi Royals
|
Played in the Bangladesh Premier League.
|
2020
|
Galle Gladiators
|
Played in the Lanka Premier League.
|
2021
|
Peshawar Zalmi
|
Played in the Pakistan Super League.
|
2023
|
Guyana Amazon Warriors
|
Played in the Caribbean Premier League.
|
2024
|
—
|
Did not participate in any league.
|
Bangladesh Premier League
Hazratullah Zazai played in two teams in the Bangladesh Premier League. In 2019, he was with Dhaka Dynamites and scored 57 runs off 36 balls in a match against Khulna Titans. He later joined Rajshahi Royals for the 2019–20 season. In one match, Zazai scored 56 runs in a close win against Dhaka Platoon.
Year
|
Team
|
Notes
|
2019
|
Dhaka Dynamites
|
Scored 57 off 36 balls against Khulna Titans and 78 off 41 balls against Rajshahi Kings.
|
2019–20
|
Rajshahi Royals
|
Scored 56 runs in a close win against Dhaka Platoon.
|
2024
|
—
|
Did not play in the Bangladesh Premier League due to other reasons.
|
Lanka Premier League
In 2020, Hazratullah Zazai was drafted by Galle Gladiators for the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League. His T20 strike rate of 147.33 made him a potential match-winner for the team.
Year
|
Team
|
Notes
|
2020
|
Galle Gladiators
|
Drafted for the inaugural Lanka Premier League. T20 strike rate of 147.33.
|
2024
|
—
|
Did not participate in the Lanka Premier League due to other commitments.
|
Pakistan Super League
Hazratullah Zazai played for Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League. In 2021, he helped the team reach the finals, scoring 66 runs off 44 balls against Islamabad United. In June 2021, he scored 63 runs off 26 balls against Karachi Kings. In 2022, Zazai was part of the Peshawar Zalmi squad but missed the first two matches due to COVID-19.
Year
|
Team
|
Notes
|
2021
|
Peshawar Zalmi
|
Helped the team reach the finals. Scored 66 off 44 balls against Islamabad United and 63 off 26 balls against Karachi Kings.
|
2022
|
Peshawar Zalmi
|
Part of the squad but missed the first two matches due to COVID-19.
|
Caribbean Premier League
In 2023, Hazratullah Zazai played for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League. He featured in 2 matches and scored a total of 7 runs, with an average of 3.50. Zazai made his CPL debut on August 27, 2023, against Jamaica Tallawahs, but was dismissed for a duck. However, Guyana Amazon Warriors won the match by 34 runs.
Year
|
Team
|
Notes
|
2023
|
Guyana Amazon Warriors
|
Played 2 matches, scored 7 runs with an average of 3.50. Made his CPL debut with a duck against Jamaica Tallawahs.
|
Domestic career
Hazratullah Zazai started his first-class career in October 2017 with Band-e-Amir Region in the Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament. He debuted in List A cricket in August 2017 with Amo Region in the Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament. His first T20 match was in December 2016 against the UAE. Zazai became the top run-scorer for Kabul Zwanan in the first Afghanistan Premier League, setting a record for the fastest fifty in T20 cricket.
He played for Dhaka Dynamites in the Bangladesh Premier League in 2018 and for Rajshahi Royals in 2019. In 2020, he joined Galle Gladiators for the Lanka Premier League.
In 2023, Zazai helped Durban Qalandars win the Zim Afro T10 final with 43 runs. He also played for Northern Warriors in the Abu Dhabi T10 League in December 2023 against Bengal Tigers.
Other Leagues
Hazratullah Zazai played in the Zim Afro T10 and Abu Dhabi T10 Leagues in 2023. In the Zim Afro T10, he was part of Durban Qalandars. He helped the team win the title by scoring 43 runs off 22 balls in the final. In the Abu Dhabi T10 League, he played for Northern Warriors in a match against Bengal Tigers on December 3, 2023.
Records and achievements
Hazratullah Zazai has set several records and achieved great things in his cricket career. Here are his major accomplishments:
- October 14, 2018: Hit six sixes in one over against Balkh Legends in the Afghanistan Premier League. He also set the record for the fastest fifty in T20 cricket, scoring 50 runs in just 12 balls.
- April 2019: Was selected for Afghanistan's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
- 2019: Scored 162 runs in a T20 match for Afghanistan, including 16 sixes and 11 fours. This is the second-highest individual score in T20 international cricket.
- 2018: Set the record for the fastest T20 half-century, hitting 50 runs off 12 balls in the Afghanistan Premier League.
- 2018: Hit 16 sixes in a single T20 match, setting the record for the most sixes in one match.
- 2018: Partnered with Usman Ghani to score 236 runs in 105 balls, setting a record for the highest partnership in T20 cricket.
- 2018: Scored 66 runs in one over for Kabul Zwanan in the Afghanistan Premier League, becoming one of the few players to achieve this feat.
- 2023: Helped Durban Qalandars win the Zim Afro T10 title by scoring 43 runs off 22 balls in the final.
Personal life
Hazratullah Zazai keeps his personal life private and focuses mainly on his cricket career.
Family
Hazratullah Zazai is the third of six children in his family. His family has always supported him in his cricket journey. While there is little information about his parents, it’s clear that they have been important in his development. His father supported him in both his personal and professional life, and his mother encouraged him to follow his dreams in cricket.
Finance
As of February 2025, Hazratullah Zazai's net worth is estimated between $4 million and $6 million.
Scandals
In 2023, the Afghanistan Cricket Board mistakenly wished Hazratullah Zazai a 75th birthday on social media. This caused confusion, but it was later clarified that the board had wished him his 25th birthday in both Pashto and English.
Fans
Hazratullah Zazai has a strong fan following, especially after his performance in the 2018 Afghanistan Premier League. He made a big impression by hitting six sixes in one over. He has 113k followers on Instagram.