Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan marked a strong return to T20 cricket by smashing his first-ever century in the format during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Assam at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium B in Lucknow.
Playing his first T20 game after two years, the 28-year-old reached the three-figure mark in just 47 balls. Before this, he had managed only three half-centuries, with his highest score being 67 in the format.
Ahead of the upcoming IPL auction, Sarfaraz has sent a strong message with his timely ton. The right-handed batter will be one of the marquee capped Indian players available.
Sarfaraz’s ton included eight boundaries and seven sixes, scored at a strike rate of 212.76. Contributions from Ayush Mhatre (21), Ajinkya Rahane (42) and Suryakumar Yadav (20) helped Mumbai post a strong total of 220 for the loss of four wickets. For Assam, Abdul Ajij Kuraishi, Avinov Choudhury, Akash Sengupta and Sadek Hussain took one wicket each.
While chasing, Assam struggled throughout their innings, with Sibsankar Roy top-scoring with 41. Captain Riyan Parag, Denish Das and Saahil Jain were all dismissed for ducks. For Mumbai, captain Shardul Thakur was the pick of the bowlers, taking a five-wicket haul while conceding 23 runs in three overs. Sairaj Patil and Atharva Ankolekar also claimed two wickets each, while Shams Mulani took one. Their efforts helped Mumbai secure a 98-run victory.
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