Biography

Hazratullah Zazai, a left-handed batsman from Afghanistan, is a young sensation who has made big strides in international cricket. He did not have a great start to his domestic career though. On his first-class debut for Band-e-Amir Region against Mis Ainak Region, Zazai failed in both innings with the bat. Although his talent and promise were such that the selectors kept an eye on him and eventually, Hazratullah Zazai made his T20I debut against UAE in 2016. Contrary to his natural aggressive batting, Zazai played a sedate knock and due to that, he did not play any further T20Is till 2018. He made a comeback against Ireland as a 20-year old and had a series to remember scoring back-to-back fifties.

Zazai made his presence known in the Afghanistan Premier League where he was playing for the Kabul Zwanan team, as in a match against Balkh Legends, Hazratullah hit six sixes in an over and also registered his 50 in just 12 balls. He joined an elite list consisting of Yuvraj Singh, Sir Garry Sobers and others, who have hit six sixes in an over. Zazai finished as the highest run-scorer for his team in that season.

The left-hander continued his form in the international arena as well. In the series against Ireland played in India in 2019, Zazai stroked a 62-ball 162*, helping Afghanistan reach the then highest score in T20Is. Since then, Zazai has not had a great time with the bat in both the formats. However, with age on his side, Afghanistan would hope to benefit from his great hitting ability.