It must have been an uncomfortable evening for the Pakistan Cricket Board selection committee as Sharjeel Khan slogged the ball up in the air and out of stadium, all of 102m, scoring the longest six of the PSL tournament on Wednesday night.
Khan’s record may not have lasted long – Shane Watson usurped him with a 104m slog in the same innings – but the night nonetheless belonged to the Pakistani. He continued scoring one boundary after another, the Islamabad United man bagging the ‘Man of the Match’ title for his spectacular performance.
It was an act of defiance on the same day that the PCB revealed Pakistan’s squad for the upcoming ICC World T20 in India. Khan was not included, the aggressive batting all-rounder omitted as four uncapped players received the nod.
Sharjeel Khan leads #ISLU to victory with a Man of the Match performance #IsbUnited #ISLUvsLQ #HBLPSL #AbKhelKeDikha pic.twitter.com/QNxpwUeLTm
— Islamabad United (@IsbUnited) February 10, 2016
He may not have given a performance as unforgettable as this during the first couple of PSL matches, but he has maintained an impeccable strike rate and has scored his fair share of boundaries. Against Lahore Qalandars on Wednesday, his outstanding opening partnership with skipper Shane Watson catapulted Islamabad to a one-sided, eight-wicket win.
In a post-match interview, Sharjeel seemed unfazed by the board’s decision to exclude him from the World T20 squad, insisting that he is totally focused on the PSL.
“I have a lot to learn from and I want to work hard to improve my performance, like today I just want to keep up the momentum and continue to play well,” he told former test captain turned commentator, Ramiz Raja as he accepted the ‘Man of the Match’ award.
Khan and Watson perfectly matched each other in Sharjah, scoring 79 apiece and smashing 7 sixes each, with Islamabad skipper Watson describing his team-mate as “a very powerful batter”.
The Pakistani continued slogging sixes and fours long after Watson’s dismissal and ended the match with two consecutive sixes. Khan’s performance was key to his side’s victory and also further emphasised the need to fix the Qalandars’ lacklustre bowling and fielding.
Ahmed Shehzad’s was perhaps the most notable omission by the PCB but Sharjeel, too, is a player who could have brought a lot to the Pakistan squad. He possesses the same cool head as Misbah-ul-Haq but with bat in hand is aggressive -reminiscent of Shahid Afridi’s daring do-or-die style.
Only time can judge the success of the PCB’s decision to ignore Sharjeel Khan, but Wednesday’s match was a true demonstration of the sort of firepower he can bring to any team.
