Ibrahim Zadran hit a record-breaking century in a Champions Trophy match on Wednesday, leading Afghanistan to a thrilling victory over England.
England pacer Jofra Archer rattled Afghanistan early with three wickets during the Powerplay, leaving them in a shaky position. After choosing to bat first in their second Champions Trophy match on Wednesday, Afghanistan found themselves on the backfoot. However, 23-year-old Ibrahim Zadran stepped up to steady the innings, not only rescuing his team from trouble but also putting them in a strong position to secure a thrilling eight-run victory.
Introducing Ibrahim Zadran, Afghanistan’s rising talent, who is making a comeback after spending over two years on the sidelines since his ODI debut in 2019.
On Wednesday, Ibrahim Zadran surpassed the Champions Trophy record for the highest individual score, previously set by England’s Ben Duckett just a few days earlier.
Zadran played a magnificent knock of 177 runs from 146 balls, hitting 12 fours and six sixes, before being dismissed in the final over. Afghanistan ended their innings at 325/7 in 50 overs.
More about Ibrahim Zadran
Born on December 12, 2001, in Kabul, Zadran grew up playing cricket with his Afghanistan teammate Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman. In an interview with Cricbuzz, the top-order batter shared that as a child, he played cricket in the garden with his family. Inspired by Afghanistan’s debut in the 2010 T20 World Cup, he began taking cricket seriously and joined an academy to pursue it professionally.
Zadran improved his skills by watching a lot of international cricket, learning from legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara, and current stars such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Zadran participated in two U19 World Cup campaigns for Afghanistan, quickly gaining attention. After a quiet ODI debut against West Indies in Lucknow in November 2019, he didn’t return to the format until February 2022. During his time away from the national team, he focused on improving both his physical and mental fitness. Upon his return, Ibrahim Zadran made a strong comeback, scoring four centuries between June 2022 and July 2023, and hasn’t slowed down since.
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