Openers Hazratullah Zazai and Usman Ghani were on a record-breaking spree as Afghanistan posted the highest-ever T20I total in the second match against Ireland in Dehradun on Saturday.
Asghar Afghan won the toss, elected to bat and then like many others enjoyed a spectacle unfold before his eyes at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium as Zazai (162 not out off 62 balls) and Ghani tonked the ball and zoomed past many records and threatened to break a few more.
The opening duo Zazai and Ghani created a T20I record for the highest partnership for any wicket (236) as they went past Australia duo Aaron Finch and D’Arcy Short’s previous record of 223.
278/3 - Highest T20I total
— ICC (@ICC) February 23, 2019
236 - Highest T20I partnership
16 - Most sixes in an individual T20I innings
162* - Second-highest T20I score
42 balls - Third-fastest men's T20I ton
Just a few records broken by Afghanistan today!#AFGvIRE LIVE ?https://t.co/7szofdyWOt pic.twitter.com/46MW2RXTky
Afghanistan, meanwhile, also surpassed Australia (263) to become the team with most number of runs (276) in a T20I innings.
Afghanistan also set a record for most number of sixes (22) in a T20I innings, going past West Indies’ 21.
While Finch’s record for most runs (172) for a batsman in T20I innings remained safe, the left-hander went past Finch’s second-highest T20I score of 156, Glenn Maxwell’s 145 and Evin Lewis’ 125 not out to jump to the second spot in the list of batsmen with most runs in a T20I innings.
While Ghani missed out on a hundred, he, too his credit, hit 73 off 48 balls with the help of seven fours and three sixes.
Zazai, meanwhile, was in some other league, as he simply dominated the Ireland bowling attack, scoring at will.
Afghanistan set a massive target of 279 runs for @Irelandcricket to chase in the second T20I . The Opening pair of Hazratullah Zazai and Usman Ghani put on Afghanistan's highest partnership in T20Is as Afghanistan ended scoring the highest Team Total in T20Is #AFGvIRE pic.twitter.com/GUz5TbMGkc
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) February 23, 2019
