Mohammad Shahzad facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mohammad Shahzad

Personal information
Full name	Mohammad Shahzad Mohammadi
Born	(1988-01-10) 10 January 1988 (age 37) Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan
Height	5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Batting	Right-handed
Role	Wicket-keeper-batsman
International information
National side	Afghanistan (2009-2023)
Test debut (cap 6)	14 June 2018 v India
Last Test	15 March 2019 v Ireland
ODI debut (cap 14)	30 August 2009 v Netherlands
Last ODI	4 June 2019 v Sri Lanka
ODI shirt no.	77
T20I debut (cap 6)	1 February 2010 v Ireland
Last T20I	7 October 2023 v India
T20I shirt no.	77
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2014	Boost Defenders
2015	Band-e-Amir Dragons
2015–2016	Kabul Eagles
2018	Speen Ghar Tigers
2016	Rangpur Riders
2018–2019	Chittagong Vikings
2018	Paktia Panthers
2020	Rangpur Riders
2021	Chitwan Tigers
2018	Rajputs
2019	Deccan Gladiators
2022	Minister Dhaka
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI T20I FC Matches 2 84 70 22 Runs scored 69 2,727 2,015 1,651 Batting average 17.25 33.66 30.07 50.03 100s/50s 0/0 6/14 1/12 4/9 Top score 40 131* 118* 214* Catches/stumpings 0/0 64/25 30/28 53/7
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 17 October 2023
Medal record Representing  Afghanistan Men's Cricket Asian Games Silver 2010 Guangzhou Team Silver 2014 Incheon Team Silver 2022 Hangzhou Team

Mohammad Shahzad Mohammadi (Pashto: محمد شهزاد محمدي), born on January 10, 1988, is a famous Afghan cricket player. He has played for his country in all three main types of international cricket games. Shahzad is a right-handed opening batsman and a wicketkeeper. He first played for Afghanistan in August 2009 against the Netherlands.

Shahzad was one of the first eleven cricketers to play in Afghanistan's very first Test match. This historic game was against India in June 2018. He also holds a special record for scoring an ODI century when his team's score was very low. This happened against India in the Asia Cup 2018.

Early Life and Family Background

Mohammad Shahzad comes from a Pashtun family. His family is originally from Nangarhar Province in Afghanistan. Because of war, his family moved to a refugee camp in Peshawar, Pakistan. Shahzad spent most of his younger years in Peshawar. He also got married there.

Playing for His Country: International Cricket

Shahzad joined Afghanistan's national cricket team in 2009. This was during the 2009 Cricket World Cup Qualifier in South Africa. His great playing helped Afghanistan earn One Day International (ODI) status. This means they could play longer international matches. Since then, he has been a regular player for Afghanistan in all types of cricket games.

First-Class Cricket Matches

First-class cricket is a type of long cricket match. It is played over several days. It is a very high level of cricket, just below Test cricket.

His Early First-Class Career: 2009–2010

Shahzad started playing first-class cricket for Afghanistan in 2009. This was during the 2009–10 ICC Intercontinental Cup. In his first match against a Zimbabwe XI, he scored 79 runs. He played a big part in Afghanistan's win over Ireland. He scored 88 and 42 runs in that game.

In February 2010, Shahzad made history. He became the first Afghan player to score a double century in a first-class match. He scored 214 runs without being out. This helped Afghanistan chase down a huge score of 494 runs to beat Canada. He also scored a century against Scotland in August 2010.

Shahzad scored a half-century in the Intercontinental Cup final against Scotland. This helped Afghanistan win the title in their first year. He was the top run-scorer in the whole competition. He made 802 runs, including two centuries. He was also the best wicket-keeper, with 28 dismissals.

Playing from 2011 to 2017

Shahzad scored a half-century in Afghanistan's first match of the 2011–13 ICC Intercontinental Cup. Later, he was named the team's new vice-captain. In January 2012, Shahzad played for a special team called the ICC Combined Associate and Affiliate XI. This team played against England in Dubai. He scored two half-centuries in that match.

Shahzad played very well in the 2015–17 ICC Intercontinental Cup. He scored two more first-class centuries. One was against Papua New Guinea and the other against Namibia. His century against Namibia helped Afghanistan win by a lot. In 2017, Afghanistan was given full member status by the International Cricket Council. This meant they could play Test cricket.

Playing in Test Cricket

In May 2018, Shahzad was chosen for Afghanistan's first-ever Test match. This match was played against India. He made his Test debut on June 14, 2018. Mohammad Shahzad opened the batting and scored 14 and 13 runs. Afghanistan lost this match quickly. In February 2019, he was also part of Afghanistan's Test team against Ireland.

Playing in One-Day Cricket

Shahzad played in the 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifiers. Here, Afghanistan earned ODI status. This happened after a win over Namibia. Shahzad scored an important 73 runs in that game.

He made his ODI debut on August 30, 2009, against the Netherlands. In his second match, he made history again. He became the first Afghan player to score a century in an ODI match. He scored 110 runs, helping Afghanistan win by 6 wickets.

Shahzad was also part of the team that won the 2010 ACC Trophy Elite. He scored two half-centuries in the 2010 ICC World Cricket League Division One tournament. This helped Afghanistan finish 3rd.

Playing in Twenty20 International (T20I) Cricket

In February 2010, Shahzad played his first Twenty20 International (T20I) match. This was against Ireland. He was a key player in Afghanistan's team for the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier. He scored 65 runs in the final against Ireland, helping Afghanistan win. He then played in the main World Twenty20 tournament.

In the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, Shahzad scored three half-centuries. He played in both of Afghanistan's matches in the 2012 ICC World Twenty20. In March 2013, he played two T20 matches against Scotland. He scored 55 and 46 runs and was named player of the match in both games.

Shahzad played in the 2013 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier and the 2014 ICC World Twenty20. In a match against Hong Kong, he scored 68 runs from 53 balls. He also played two exciting innings in the 2015 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier. He scored 74 against the United Arab Emirates and 75 against Scotland. His partnership with Asghar Afghan was the biggest for Afghanistan in T20 cricket at that time.

World Cup and Beyond

In April 2019, Shahzad was chosen for Afghanistan's team for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. However, he was later ruled out due to a knee injury. In September 2021, he was named in Afghanistan's team for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. On October 31, 2021, Shahzad became the first player for Afghanistan to score 2,000 runs in T20I cricket. This happened during a T20 World Cup match against Namibia.

Playing in Twenty20 Franchise Cricket

Franchise cricket is when players join different teams for special leagues around the world. In September 2016, Shahzad joined the Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). In his first game for the Riders, he scored 80 runs without being out. He also set a record for the most dismissals by a wicket-keeper in a BPL match with five. Shahzad was the top run-scorer for Rangpur that season. In October 2018, he joined the Chittagong Vikings team.

In September 2018, Shahzad was part of the Paktia team in the first Afghanistan Premier League tournament. He was the top run-scorer in this tournament, with 344 runs in nine matches.

Playing in Domestic Cricket

Shahzad has not played much top-level domestic cricket in Afghanistan. This is because he spends a lot of time with the national team. He has played for the Band-e-Amir Dragons and captained the team. He also captained the Spin Ghar Tigers in the 2018 Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament. He scored two centuries in this tournament.

Shahzad played in the first three seasons of the Shpageeza Cricket League. This is Afghanistan's national Twenty20 competition. He played for the Boost Defenders and then the Kabul Eagles. The Kabul Eagles won the tournament in 2016. Shahzad scored 90 runs in the 2016 final and was named player of the match.

He has also played domestic cricket in Pakistan. He played for teams like Port Qasim Authority and Habib Bank Limited. He also holds the record for the fastest 50 in T10 history. He scored 74 runs off just 16 balls.

Amazing Records and Statistics

• Shahzad holds the record for the most dismissals as a wicketkeeper in a single T20I game (5). He was the first wicketkeeper to do this.
• In 2016, Shahzad scored an amazing 118 runs off 68 balls against Zimbabwe. This was one of his best innings. He has won the most Player of the Match awards in T20I for an associate member, with 8 awards.
• On March 8, 2016, Shahzad became the first associate player to score 10 scores of fifty or more runs in T20Is.
• At the end of 2016, Shahzad was named the ICC's Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year. This is a big award for players from smaller cricket nations.
• On January 20, 2017, Shahzad made history. He scored two half-centuries in two different international matches on the same day. He scored 80 against Oman and 52 not out against Ireland.
• During a T20I series against Ireland, Shahzad became only the second player in T20I history to hit 200 fours.
• Shahzad hit the joint fastest half-century in T10 history. He reached his fifty off just 12 balls for Rajputs in the 2018 T10 League.

Important Moments and Challenges

Mohammad Shahzad has faced some challenges during his career.

• In April 2009, he was warned by the ICC for showing disagreement with an umpire's decision.
• In November 2016, he was suspended for two matches by the Bangladesh Cricket Board due to an incident during a game.
• In April 2017, Shahzad was suspended by the ICC for a period of twelve months. This was because a test showed a banned substance in his sample. He was able to play again from January 17, 2018.
• In March 2018, Shahzad was suspended for two matches and fined. This was for causing damage to the cricket ground after being dismissed.
• In April 2018, the Afghanistan Cricket Board asked Shahzad to move back to Afghanistan. This was part of a new rule that players should live in Afghanistan.

See also

In Spanish: Mohammad Shahzad para niños