There are certain players around the world, who are not very athletically built but still do the job well, for their nations. Afghanistan wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Shahzad is one such classic case, who despite his stocky build, performed well for his team at the highest level. The 36-year-old played 84 ODIs for Afghanistan and scored 2727 runs, at an average of over 33. In that, he scored six tons as well. As far as the T20Is is concerned, in 73 matches, he scored 2048 runs, at an average close to 30.
But despite this stellar record, his weight seems to always be a topic of discussion. Former Afghanistan skipper Asghar Afghan narrated a funny incident with MS Dhoni, where the latter promised that he would call Shahzad to the IPL if he lost 20 kg. But in turn, Shahzad ended up putting on 5 extra kg.
Asghar told the Times of India in an exclusive interview, “After the tied match (IND vs AFG at 2018 Asia Cup), I had a long chat with MS Dhoni. He is a superb captain and a god’s gift to Indian cricket. He is a nice human being. We spoke about Mohammad Shahzad a lot. I told Dhoni bhai that Shahzad is your big fan. Dhoni said Shahzad has got a big tummy and if he loses 20 kg, I will pick him in the IPL. But when Shahzad returned to Afghanistan after the series, he gained 5 more kg.
IND vs AFG in 2018 Asia Cup
To date, Afghanistan has never been able to beat in an international match, across formats. The closest they’ve come, was a tied match between the two nations, during the 2018 Asia Cup. In that match, Shahzad had scored 124, to take Afghanistan to 252. In reply, India also scored 252, but were all out with one ball to spare. The hero with the ball for them was Rashid Khan, who claimed 2/41 in the match.
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