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History-Maker Ibrahim Zadran Explains Reason Behind Unique Hundred Celebration
Follow UsZadran unfurled a gesture where he mimicked bowling leg-spin and then folded his hands and thanked someone at the dressing room
At 37/3 in the ninth over, not many gave Afghanistan a chance of posting a decent total in the do-or-die clash against England in ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
However, in one of the most extraordinary ODI innings of all time, Ibrahim Zadran smashed a stunning 177 off 146 balls to take Afghanistan to 325/7. It was a historic knock as it turned out to be the highest individual score in Champions Trophy history, with Zadran breaking the previous record set by Ben Duckett (165) last week, incidentally at the very same venue.
Curiously, after he got to 100, the 23-year-old unleashed a unique celebration. He unfurled a gesture where he mimicked bowling leg-spin and then folded his hands and thanked someone at the dressing room.
In the aftermath of the epic knock, Zadran explained the reason behind the celebration.
“Before the game, I had a chat with Rashid. Whenever I chat with Rashid, I get a score. [That’s why] when I got to my century, I thanked Rashid,” he told the host broadcaster after his innings.
The 23-year-old opener further affirmed that he was pleased getting a massive score under his belt after a long injury layoff. Prior to this Champions Trophy, Zadran hadn’t played an ODI since March 2024 due to injury.
“It’s not easy to come back to international cricket, I have come back to international cricket after 7 months but I hadn’t played ODI cricket since the last 1 year,” he said.
“The expectations were there on me and I played well. I put myself under pressure and I enjoyed this innings.”
He further explained the role played by newly roped-in mentor Younis Khan, one of the greatest batters in Pakistan history.
“He is sharing his experience with us, he has played a lot of cricket in Pakistan. I didn’t get runs in the first game. He has been there with Jonathan Trott for the last couple of years. He told me that you are playing well, you need to play a big innings,” Zadran revealed.
“Whenever you cross 40, you have to go for 60-70 and then you are not going to miss. I was thinking about that and I brought it into this game.”