Afghanistan opener Hazratullah Zazai’s daughter passed away on Thursday. The tragic & heartbreaking passing away of a young soul was shared by Zazai's teammate Karim Janat on social media.
"I am deeply saddened to share with you all that my close friend like brother, Hazratullah Zazai, has lost his daughter. My heart aches with sorrow for him and his family during this incredibly difficult time," Janat wrote.
For the uninitiated, Zazai was not part of the Afghanistan squad for the Champions Trophy. The southpaw was last seen during the team's T20I series against Zimbabwe. The opening batter made his international debut in 2016, playing 45 T20Is and 16 ODIs since then. In his short career so far, Zazai has etched his name into the record books. He is second on the list of players with the highest individual score in T20Is.
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The southpaw smashed 162 runs off just 62 balls, studded with 11 sixes and as many as fours against Ireland in Dehradun. Later, Zazai also smoked six sixes in an over in the 2018 Afghanistan Premier League off left-arm spinner Abdullah Mazari while playing for the Kabul Zwanan in Sharjah. The opener also smashed 62 runs off just 17 deliveries in that match at a stunning strike rate of 364.7
Zazai the big-hitting player of Afghanistan
Six-hitting comes naturally to Zazai as he was earmarked as a player with big-hitting ability in the Under-19 days. However, due to the emergence of Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, opportunities dwindled for Zazai. His last notable knock came in the Abu Dhabi T10 when he and batting partner Mohammad Shahzad chased down a lowish 108-run target with an unbeaten opening partnership in just eight overs for the Bangla Tigers.
The door is not shut for Zazai just yet, as he can make a comeback into the team by consistently scoring in the domestic setup.
