Mohammad Shahzad slams record-breaking 74 runs off 16 balls
The second season of the T10 League got off to a sensational start in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday as Afghanistan's Mohammad Shahzad made T10 cricket history with a super destructive innings of 74 off just 16 deliveries. Shahzad hit eight sixes and six boundaries, setting the record for fastest fifty in the 10-over format, taking his side Rajputs to a 10-wicket victory against the Sindhis with six overs to spare in Sharjah.
Chasing 95 to win, Afghanistan wicket-keeper opened the innings with captain Brendon McCullum and single-handedly decimated Sindhis' bowling attack.
Mohammad Nawaz, Jofra Archer, Thisara Perera and Fawad Ahmed all bowled one over each and went for more than 20 runs.
McCullum, who stitched together an opening stand of 96 runs with Shahzad, scored 21 off just 8 deliveries, was a silent spectator to Shahzad's brilliance on the other end.
Batting first, Shane Watson's Sindhis posted a challenging 94/6 in 10 overs with the help of 20-ball 42 from the skipper. While the Sindhis could easily have piled up a lot more runs on board, none of their batsmen except Watson, managed to reach double-figure mark.
Munaf Patel, who last played in the 2017 IPL and hasn't played competitive cricket since then, was the best bowler for the Rajputs as he took 20/3 in his two overs.
While everyone was expecting it to be a tight chase, Shahzad made it a one-sided affair with an incredible inning, that will go down as one of the best-ever knocks by the Afghan opener.
courtesy : ndtv.com
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Naxalite carrying Rs 5 lakh bounty killed in encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh
Dantewada (PTI): A Naxalite carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head was killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district, police said on Thursday.
The gunfight took place on Wednesday night in forested hills under the Geedam police station area when a joint team of the District Reserve Guard and Bastar Fighters, both units of the state police, was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai said.
Police received inputs on March 3 that Naxalites were reportedly concealing weapons and other materials in the forested hill region between Gumalnar, Girsapara and Nelgoda villages in the Geedam area bordering Bijapur district. Based on the tip, the operation was launched, he said.
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When the patrolling team was cordoning off the forest hills, 8-10 Naxalites belonging to the Bhairamgarh Area Committee of the Maoist organisation began firing indiscriminately from their automatic weapons, triggering an exchange, he said.
Taking advantage of the dense forest, hilly terrain and darkness, most Naxalites managed to flee from the spot. During a search of the encounter site, the body of one Naxalite, along with arms and ammunition, was recovered, the official said.
The neutralised Naxalite was identified as Rajesh Punem, a resident of Burji village under Gangaloor police station limits in Bijapur district, Rai said. Punem carried a bounty of Rs 5 lakh.
The recovered materials include a self-loading rifle, an INSAS rifle, a pistol with a magazine, a walkie-talkie set, several magazines and live cartridges of SLR, INSAS and pistol, along with empty shells, he said.
A search operation in the area is underway, police said.
With this action, at least 26 Naxalites have been killed in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh so far this year.
On January 3, according to officials, 14 Maoists were gunned down in two encounters in the Bastar region, which comprises seven districts, including Dantewada.
Last year, 285 rebels were killed in encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh.
The Centre has set a deadline of March 31 this year to eradicate Left-Wing Extremism from the country.
