Mohammad Shahzad: Cricket's cult hero

As the final fixture in the cricket calendar for this Australian season takes place in Glenelg with the Bushrangers taking on the Redbacks in the Shield final, I’ve been trying to get my cricketing fix before footy takes over until September.

As a result, I’ve been watching as much of the World T20 as possible, including the qualifiers. During this time, one plucky, overweight wicketkeeper has caught my eye in spectacular fashion. His name is Mohammad Shahzad.

Afghanistan have certainly showed the grit and courage in this tournament that they always do, but none more so than Shahzad. He was excluded from the Afghan squad in the fifty-over World Cup based on fitness alone, but the selectors couldn’t ignore the weight of runs for this tournament. At the time I write this, Shahzad is ranked eighth in the Twenty20 rankings, an incredible achievement for an Associate player.

There’s lots to love about this man. When Afghanistan take to the field, you can see him chirping behind the stumps, never afraid to give the batsmen a bit of lip.

His demeanour as an international wicketkeeper is incredible to witness. Shahzad will often laugh at the batsman if he plays and misses, and is very passionate when it comes to dismissals. In fact, one stumping was all it took for me to fall in love with him.

In the preliminary stage of the tournament, Hong Kong’s Nizakat Khan found himself comfortably out of his ground, only to turn around to see Shahzad staring him down before smashing the stumps in what seemed like disgust. It was arrogant, it was perhaps unsporting, but it was brilliant to watch.

I haven’t even touched on his batting.

Afghanistan play a fearless brand of cricket, but nobody stands in the face of adversity like Shahzad. Bowlers and their statistics mean nothing to Shahzad, he just sees a cricket ball and hits it as hard as he can. While his cross-batted hacks may not be as pretty as Virat Kohl’s cover drive, it sure is effective. He stunned Scotland, Hong Kong and Zimbabwe with his power hitting, but no performance in this tournament will impress me more than his defiance against South Africa.

In 19 of the most entertaining balls you will see, Shahzad punished Kagiso Rabada and Kyle Abbott, sending them to the rope thrice, and over it five times. It took a beauty from Chris Morris to dismiss him, but by then he had added 44 runs in the blink of an eye.

Post-match, Shahzad caused even more of a stir, voicing his disappointment that Dale Steyn, one of the greatest fast bowlers of the era, was not playing. “Dale Steyn [has] only pace, so this wicket is good to face a pacer, the ball is coming onto the bat. So no, I am not happy that Dale Steyn is not playing.”

It was a bold statement to make, but he had earned the right to make it.

Even when Shahzad isn’t out in the field or at the crease, he is known to be an eccentric character in the dressing rooms, and can be seen trying to have a conversation with the Afghan batsmen from the balcony from time to time. He is vocal, he is passionate, and above all he is proud to pull on the Afghanistan shirt and play for his country. Afghanistan cricket has brought hope to many in the country in a time of pure desperation, and Shahzad is leading that movement.

I came across a comedic petition that at first induced a chuckle, but after thought intrigued me. It was titled ‘Bring Shahzad to the Sixers’.

Sure, at first the idea seems ridiculous, but as a T20 keeper-batsman, Shahzad is among the best in the world. Signing him for the Big Bash, and potentially other global T20 tournaments could provide a beacon of hope for Associate players who currently have no sight of a long-term future in the game.

Regardless of what happens on that front, Afghanistan take on an in-form West Indies in their final game of the tournament. Although it will have no impact on qualification, Shahzad will want to leave his mark before he and his team disappear from the global stage for what could potentially be a very long time. Let’s hope that Afghanistan’s performances in this World T20 give the ICC a wake-up call in regards to their snuffing of what is definitely world-class talent.

For now, we have to embrace what we’ve got, and hope that cricket’s cult hero roars one last time tonight, for himself and the future of Associate cricket.