Hazratullah Zazai picked up where he left off in the Afghanistan Premier League last month as he piloted Maratha Arabians’ nine-wicket win over Bengal Tigers in the T10 League.
The burly left-hander, who rose to fame when he hit six sixes in one APL over in October, hit 76 as Maratha eased to their first victory of the campaign.
Their task had been relatively simple, chasing an under-par target of 92. Bengal had struggled against an attack made up of Rashid Khan, Roelof van der Merwe, Richard Gleeson, James Faulkner and Dwayne Bravo, all of whom registered wickets.
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Given the modest total they were defending, Bengal had to be perfect in the field. Instead, they were abject, dropping four easy catches off Hazrat.
While the win might have delighted Dougie Brown, the UAE coach who is the assistant coach of Maratha, the involvement of the national team’s players in the competition might be of concern.
Chirag Suri, the national team opener, did get a chance to bat for Bengal, but only at No 8 in the order.
UAE pace bowler Zahoor Khan, meanwhile, did not bowl for Maratha, and was listed to come in at No 11.
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In the earlier match in the day, Rohan Mustafa, the UAE captain, had cut a forlorn figure in the field for Rajputs.
He has been listed to bat at No 8 in the order for them, and has yet to get a chance in the event.
Maratha’s win meant there is only one side left in the competition not to have registered a win, and no-one has managed more than one.
Northern Warriors will attempt to break their duck when they face Punjabi Legends in the third and final match on Friday.
