VHT 2023: Shahbaz Ahmed smokes his third List A century
Bengal all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed smoked a fine century against Haryana in the first quarter-final match of the 2023 Vijay Hazare Trophy. It was certainly an innings of character from the southpaw as wickets kept tumbling around him. The dasher, however, stayed till the last over and scored 100 off 118 balls, a knock laced with four boundaries and as many sixes. Here is more.
A brilliant knock from Shahbaz
Shahbaz arrived to bat at number five in the 18th over with the scorecard reading 70/3. The fall of two more quick wickets meant Bengal were further reduced to 93/5. Shahbaz then paired up with the lower order and powered his side past the 200-run mark. As the southpaw was dismissed in the final over, Bengal finished at 225/10.
1,000 runs in List A cricket
During the course of his knock, Shahbaz also raced past 1,000 runs in List A cricket. He has now raced to 1,022 runs in 50 games with his average and strike rate being over 37 and 92, respectively. While this was his third century, he also owns four fifties. With his left-arm spin, he has taken 61 wickets at an economy rate of 4.46.
His run in VHT 2023
This was a much-needed knock from Shahbaz as he had not crossed the 25-run mark in the tournament prior to this ton. He has now raced to 187 runs across six innings at 37.40. The tally includes 11 wickets at 17.18. The 29-year-old has also played three ODIs for India, returning with as many wickets at 41.66.
