Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Mohammed Azharuddeen slams 37-ball century
Mohammed Azharuddeen played one of the finest knocks in the history of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to guide Kerala to a dominant eight-wicket win against Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. The 26-year-old slammed a 37-ball century as Kerala gunned down Mumbai's 197-run target in just 15.5 overs. Azharuddeen's 54-ball 137* has been the talking point of everyone. Here are further details.
Mumbai openers laid a solid foundation, adding 88 runs. However, both Aditya Tare and Yashasvi Jaiswal departed soon as Mumbai were reduced to 105/2. After a 49-run stand, Siddesh Lad and Suryakumar Yadav were dismissed in quick succession. Shivam Dube's 13-ball 26 helped Mumbai score 196/7. In reply, Kerala openers Robin Uthappa and Azharuddeen stitched a 129-run stand. Azharuddeen's brilliance saw Kerala though (201/2).
Azharuddeen smashed nine fours and 11 sixes at a strike rate of 253.70. The unbeaten 137-run knock is Azharuddeen's highest score in T20s. This is also his maiden fifty-plus score in the format. Azharuddeen went past 400 career T20 runs (404) in what was his 19th inning. He has an average of 23.76 in T20 cricket.
Azharuddeen's knock is the highest by a Kerala batsman in T20 cricket. This is now the second-fastest century in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Azharuddeen smashed the third-highest individual score in the competition's history. He now has the fifth-best record for the most number of runs scored from boundaries in an innings in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy,
Notably, Azharuddeen's 37-ball inning is the joint-fastest T20 hundred by an Indian batsman. He holds the record alongside Rohit Sharma and Yusuf Pathan. Uthappa and Azharuddeen's 129-run opening stand is the best partnership tally by a Kerala pair in this competition.
