Watch: Rahmanullah Gurbaz smacks stunning 96-metre six vs Adu Dhabi Knight Riders in ILT20

Watch: Rahmanullah Gurbaz smacks stunning 96-metre six vs Adu Dhabi Knight Riders in ILT20 (Image Source: Twitter)

The International League T20 2023 (ILT20) is ongoing and the teams are leaving no stone unturned to clinch the title. On January 28, Saturday, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders squared off against Sharjah Warriors and it was the latter who came out on top after crushing Joe Denly and his men by 4 wickets chasing a target of 149. 

One of the moments that stood apart from the game was the Warriors batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s six off Andre Russell in the 5th over of the second innings. To add more, the batter from Afghanistan smacked the ball for a 96-metre six leaving the opponent captain Sunil Narine with no words for the emphatic shot. 

As far as the match is concerned, it was the Warriors who won the toss and elected to field first. Much to the delight of the fans, the Knight Riders star batter Paul Stirling skyrocketed early on the innings and scored a 50-ball 55 in the end, facing criticism for his poor strike rate despite getting off a good start. With the West Indies star Russell providing the finish with his 28-ball 33, they put on a defendable total on board. 

So excited for this kind of start: Rahmanullah Gurbaz

As far as the chase is concerned, it was a great win for the Warriors as they chased down the target in 17 overs and with 4 wickets to spare on the back of a stunning fifty from Afghan star Gurbaz. While the rest of the batters struggled to get going, it was Gurbaz who kept the team alive in the race single-handedly helping the team to breach the target against the Caribbean star Narine's team. 

“So excited for this kind of start because in the first few matches I didn't start well and it is difficult to come back. The head coach supported me a lot and because of that I could play my natural game. It is important to take good decisions behind the wicket as well. Batting is important but so is wicket-keeping. Yeah, I am enjoying my time here,” Gurbaz was quoted as saying in the post-match presentation.