Watch: Sharjeel Khan blasts 63-ball 141 in Kashmir Premier League, still ends up on losing side
Pakistan left-hand batsman Sharjeel Khan produced a blistering century in Eliminator 2 of the inaugural Kashmir Premier League (KPL) T20 on Monday (August 16).
Opening the batting for Mirpur Royals against Rawalkot Hawks in Muzzaffarabad, Sharjeel played an excellent innings of 141 off just 63 deliveries.
The magnificent effort included as many as 12 fours and 12 sixes and propelled the Royals to a huge total of 236/4 batting first in their allotted 20 overs.
The 32-year-old cricketer almost singlehandedly propelled his team to a gigantic score in the knock-out encounter, with the next highest individual score for the Royals being 29 from Muhammad Akhlaq.
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Sharjeel Khan produced a spectacular hundred to end his maiden KPL stint.
Sharjeel Khan’s fantastic 141 goes in vain as Royals suffer defeat to Hawks in KPL eliminator
What a way to mark your century
#KPL21 #KheloAazadiSe #SRGKPL pic.twitter.com/ZXOhJkfLh5
— Kashmir Premier League (Official) (@kpl_20) August 16, 2021
The fasted century in #SRGKPL
Brought to you by Sharjeel Khan
#KPL21 #KheloAazadiSe pic.twitter.com/ZcMltnEX3i
— Kashmir Premier League (Official) (@kpl_20) August 16, 2021
Much to Sharjeel Khan’s disappointment, however, his innings went in vain as the Royals suffered a painful defeat by four wickets, conceding the colossal 237-run target with two balls to spare.
In a high-scoring encounter, where Hawks’ batsman Kashif Ali (114 off 51 balls) was the other centurion of the day, one stand-out spell made the difference. Hawks’ right-arm quick Zaman Khan (2/18) was the only bowler from either side to give away less than six an over during his four-over stint.
Sharjeel ended his maiden KPL T20 season as the tournament’s highest run-getter, with the century against Hawks taking his tally to 296 runs from six innings at an average of 49.33 and strike-rate of 190.96.
The batter gave a befitting reminder of his prowess to the Pakistan selectors as they look to firm up slots ahead of the T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman.
In a career affected by inconsistencies and off-field controversies, Sharjeel Khan has played 1 Test, 25 ODIs and 21 T20Is for Pakistan. He made his comeback to the T20I side earlier this year following an impressive campaign with Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020, scoring 338 runs at a strike-rate of 148.24, including a hundred (105 off 59 balls) against Islamabad United.