Hashmatullah Shahidi (Image source: Afghanistan Cricket Board)
New Delhi: Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi finally got his much-awaited maiden ODI hundred, producing a fighting knock of 102 against India in the third and final ODI at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday.This century was a milestone for Shahidi, not only because it was his first ODI ton, but also because of the long wait.
Having made his ODI debut in 2013, Shahidi took 4,644 days to score his maiden hundred in the format – the fourth-longest gap between an ODI debut and a maiden century in men’s cricket.Only Zimbabwe’s Regis Chakabva (5,040 days), India’s Sunil Gavaskar (4,858 days) and Sri Lanka’s Arjuna Ranatunga (4,674 days) have waited longer for their maiden ODI hundred.
On most days from 1st ODI debut to 1st ODI century
- 5040 – Regis Chakabva (2008-2022)
- 4858 – Sunil Gavaskar (1974-1987)
- 4674 – Arjuna Ranatunga (1982-1994)
- 4,644 – Heshmatullah Shahidi (2013-2026)
- 4639 – Nasser Hussein (1989-2003)
Shahidi’s special roles came at a time when Afghanistan was in deep trouble. After electing to bat first, the visitors fell to 36/4 over the first 10 overs as Prasidh Krishna cracked the top order.Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahma Shah and Darvesh Rasouli all fell cheaply, with Prasidh ending the innings with career best figures of 5/23.With wickets falling around him, Shahidi took charge of the recovery.
The left-hander played a patient innings, regularly finding gaps and rotating the batting while ensuring Afghanistan did not suffer a complete collapse.He added for the first time 105 runs for the fifth wicket with Azmatullah Umarzai, who made a quick 50 off 56 balls. The partnership helped Afghanistan regain some stability after the early damage.Shahidi reached his fifty off 64 balls before going on to steady the innings.
Even after suffering from cramps in the final stages of his injury, he went on to make his maiden ODI century from 128 deliveries.This achievement came appropriately with the border off Washington Sundar. Shahidi eventually finished with 102 off 131 balls, an innings that included 13 fours and a six.He later shared another important 57-run stand with veteran Mohammad Nabi as Afghanistan crossed the 200-run mark.Once Nabi was gone, wickets fell quickly at the other end, but Shahidi battled through pain and fatigue to ensure Afghanistan posted a respectable total of 218.