Hazratullah Zazai (born Dec 08, 1997) is an Afghan International cricketer who plays for Afghanistan in international Cricket and Kabul Zwanan in Afghanistan Premier League.
| Biography | |
| Full Name | Hazratullah Zazai |
| Nickname | Hazrat |
| Date of Birth | 23 March 1998 |
| Hazratullah Zazai Age | 26 years |
| Birth Place | Paktia, Afghanistan |
| Playing Role | Batsman |
| Batting Style | Left Handed Bat |
| Bowling Style | Slow left-arm orthodox |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Hazratullah Zazai Height (approx) | 183 cm 1.83 m 6’ 0” Inch |
| Eye Colour | Light Brown |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Career Info | |
| Teams | Afghanistan, Kabul Zwanan, Dhaka Dynamites, Maratha Arabians, Rajshahi Royals, Galle Gladiators, Peshawar Zalmi |
| Debut | First Class Debut: Mis-Ainak vs Band-Region at Kabul, October 20, 2017 List A Debut: Amo-Region vs Mis-Ainak at Khost, August 10, 2017 ODI Debut: Ireland vs Afghanistan at Belfast, August 27, 2018 T20I Debut: U.A.E. vs Afghanistan at Dubai, December 16, 2016 |
| Career Turning Point | His innings of 162 runs against Ireland in 2019 was one of the most remarkable moments in Afghanistan cricket and also made me a household name in his country |
| Jersey Number | 3 (Afghanistan) |
| Coach/Mentor | Lance Klusener(Afghanistan) |
| Personal Life | |
| Zodiac sign | Aries |
| School | Not Known |
| College | Not Known |
| Educational Qualification | Not Known |
| Family | Father- Name not known Mother- Name not known Brother(s)- Ibrahim Hashimi Zazai |
| Girlfriend/Wife | Not Known |
| Religion | Islam |
| Hobbies | Playing Guitar, Travelling |
| Favourite Things | |
| Favourite Cricketers | Chris Gayle, Hashim Amla |
Hazratullah Zazai is one of the most talented batsmen in the Afghan circuit. Zazai is known for his power-hitting and aggressive stroke play. The 23-year old is surely a player to watch out for in the shortest format.
Domestic Career
Zazai has some prolific numbers in domestic cricket. The left-hander made his List A debut for his domestic team Amo Region in the Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional Tournament on August 10, 2017. A few months later, he also made his first-class debut for Band-e-Amir Region on 20th October 2017 in the 2017-18 Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament.
In 2018, Zazai was also part of the Afghanistan Premier League which is a major T20 tournament in Afghanistan. Playing for Kabul Zwanan, he scored 322 runs from his 10 games in the first edition of the tournament.
The Afghan Opener came into the limelight after he smashed 6 sixes in an over in a T20 match against Balk Legends. In 2019, Zazai was also part of the trials for many franchises for IPl 2019.
Talking about his domestic numbers, Zazai has played 11 List-A games and has scored 241 runs at an average of 24.10. His first-class numbers are also decent and have scored 1246 runs from his 17 games at an average of 38.93 which includes 3 100s and 8 50s.
International Career
T20I Career
Like many of his fellow Afghan Cricketers, Zazai also made his international debut without much experience in the domestic circuit. He made his T20 debut against the UAE on 16th December 2016. He was average on his debut and scored 18 off 24 balls.
One of the highlights of his career was when he scored a 22-ball half-century against Ireland and also holds the record for the fastest fifty by an Afghan Player.
In 2019, He smashed 162 runs which were the highest ever score by an individual by an Afghan player and also the second-highest in the world just 10 runs behind Aaron Finch’s 172, and helped his team finish the innings with a score of 278.
This was also the highest ever partnership for any wicket in T20 cricket as he and Usman Ghani scored 236 runs for the first wicket. Zazai has so far played 6 T20I games and has scored 378 runs at an outstanding average of 75.60. He is expected to play an integral role for Afghanistan in ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
ODI Career
After his impressive show in T20s Zazai also made his ODI debut against Ireland on 27th August 2018. He scored 14 runs on his debut. The Afghan Opener has played 16 ODI games for Afghanistan so far and has scored 361 runs at an average of 22.56 which also includes two half-centuries.
Lesser Known Facts about Hazratullah Zazai
- Hazratullah Zazai is a big fan of Chris Gayle and Hashim Amla and considers them as his idols.
- In 2018, he smashed 162 runs in a T20I game against Ireland and is one of the major highlights of Afghan Cricket.
- In October 2018, Zazai hit 6 sixes in an over against Balkh Legends in the Afghanistan Premier League.