Hassan Eisakhil, Mohammad Nabi’s son, helped Afghanistan XI beat Uzbekistan by 199 runs in a friendly 20-over game with his blazing knock.
Hassan opened the innings with skipper Imran Mir after Uzbekistan opted to field in Khost and did not allow their bowlers to settle down. He smashed the ball to all parts of the ground to bring up his fifty off just 17 balls. The 19-year-old scored the next fifty runs even quicker, taking only 11 more deliveries to bring up his century off just 28 balls.
The youngster smashed 120 runs off 34 deliveries at an extraordinary strike rate of 352.94 with four fours and a staggering 16 sixes before getting retired out at the end of the 10th over. Afghanistan XI’s score at the time was 181, thanks to Hassan’s blitzkrieg, while Mir fell an over later for a 32-ball 74.
Afghanistan's hero at the U19 World Cup earlier this year, Faisal Shoinozada scored 31 off 14, with 24 of those runs coming through boundaries. The home side eventually hit a total of 27 sixes and 23 fours in their innings and posted a massive 323-7.
Needing more than 16 runs per over in the chase, Uzbekistan could only finish at 124-7 in 20 overs. Middle-order batter Merjauddin was the top scorer for Uzbekistan, scoring 62 off 46 balls with 12 fours. Wafadar Momand, Naseer Khan Maroofkhil and Imran Mir picked up two wickets each for Afghanistan XI while Faridoon Dawoodzai picked up a scalp.
Hassan Eisakhil and Mohammad Nabi are the first father-son duo to bat together in franchise cricket
Interestingly, earlier this year, Nabi and Hassan became the first-ever father-son duo to bat together in franchise cricket. They featured for Noakhali Express against Dhaka Capitals in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and together added 53 runs off 30 balls.
In what was Hassan’s debut in the league, he batted superbly to score 92. His partnership with his father helped Noakhali register only their second win of the season after eight matches. He finished his maiden BPL stint with a tally of 224 runs in three matches. The duo also played against each other in Shpageeza Cricket League last year, with the son hitting his father for a first-ball six.
Overall, Hassan has scored 1022 runs in 38 T20 matches at a strike rate of 128.39 and an average of 30.05 with a century and seven fifties to his name. Nabi, meanwhile, is still active in international cricket at the age of 41, and is ranked third in the ICC ODI rankings for all-rounders.
Image credits: Afghanistan Cricket Board/X
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