Uncapped batter Maaz Sadaqat scored a sublime century for Pakistan Shaheens in the Top End T20 series on Wednesday (August 20).
Maaz Sadaqat scores 56-ball ton for Pakistan Shaheens
The Shaheens took on the Adelaide Strikers Academy in Darwin on Wednesday, and batted first after skipper Irfan Khan Niazi won the toss. Sadaqat opened the batting alongside Yasir Khan, and the pair got off to a brisk start, scoring 54-0 in the Powerplay.
Match 23, Pakistan Shaheens vs Adelaide Strikers Academy
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Sadaqat got to a half century in the ninth over of the innings, off 29 balls. Thereafter, he and Yasir both began to accelerate. Sadaqat's next 15 balls yielded 30 runs, and the team score was 149-0 in 14 overs, before Yasir departed for 51.
In the 17th over of the innings, Sadaqat smashed seamer Josh Kann over cow corner for his second six of the innings, to go with 11 fours and bring up a century. It was his first triple-digit score for Pakistan Shaheens, in any form of cricket. He was out three balls later though, for 104 off 59, caught and bowled by Tom O'Connell. Pakistan Shaheens went on to post 202-6.
Who is Maaz Sadaqat?
Sadaqat represented Pakistan at the 2022 U19 World Cup, although he endured a difficult time with 46 runs in six matches. He has kicked on since then, however, and averages nearly 40 from 21 first-class matches.
In last year's Champions T20 Cup in Pakistan, his standout knock was a quickfire 82 off 53 balls. He went on to make a solid impression on his Pakistan Super League debut for Peshawar Zalmi earlier this year, scoring a 30-ball half-century to help his side chase down 144 after they had slipped to 38-3.
The then-teenager came in for praise from Zalmi skipper Babar Azam, who said, “Maaz batted brilliantly under pressure. His confidence at the crease gave me belief as well. The credit for this win goes to him.”
Image credit: YouTube / Cricket Australia
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