Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) has decided to reward opening batsman Mohammed Azharuddeen after he scored a 37-ball century against Mumbai in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
The young batsman will receive a total sum of Rs 1,37,000 for the unbeaten 137 runs he scored on Wednesday which helped Kerala beat Mumbai by eight wickets in their Elite E match at the Wankhede Stadium.
"Its a great moment for Kerala cricket. We have acknowledged the stellar performance of Mohammed Azharuddeen and we decided to immediately gift him an amount of 1,37,000 at a rate of 1000 rupees per run for his 137 not out," Sreejith V Nair, KCA secretary told IANS.
"Former BCCI secretary, SK Nair, former MP Panniyan Raveendran and others have also praised our deed," he added.
Azharuddeen's scintillating knock of 137 comprised of 11 sixes and 9 fours in 54 balls. He hit his century in 37 balls, the third fastest in T20 cricket by an Indian batsman after Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma, both national team players. This is the first instance of a Kerala batsman hitting a century in Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament.
"This is a great initiative by the Kerala Cricket Association. The names of Azharuddeen's coaches Bijumon, Mazar Moidu and Philip, have to be remembered at this moment and the hard work of these coaches is giving results and Kerala cricket is indeed going places," said Biju George, former Indian woman's team fielding coach and fielding coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL, while talking to IANS.
Azharuddeen, who became the first Kerala player to score a century in the tournament, scored the runs at an amazing strike rate of 253.70, thanks to nine boundaries and 11 sixes.
West Indies’s Chris Gayle holds the record of the fastest T20 century, which he scored off only 30 balls during his smashing 175 not out off 66 balls for the Royal Challengers Bangalore against the Pune Warriors India in the 2013 IPL.
Pant scored his hundred off 32 balls for Delhi against Himachal Pradesh in Delhi in 2018. Rohit Sharma's 35-ball century against Sri Lanka in a T20 International is the second fastest among Indians. Azharuddeen's 37-ball ton equalled Yusuf Pathan's century for Rajasthan Royals against the Mumbai Indians in the 2010 IPL.
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