‘Wasn’t scared of pace’: Pakistan’s Razaullah equals 18-year record after hitting nine sixes against England

Razaullah has taken the cricket world by storm as he smashed a 63-ball 81 on day three of the third and final Test at Edgbaston against England on Friday. Batting at No.9 in Pakistan’s second innings, the fast bowler hit four fours and nine sixes. It was only the second time in cricket history that a debutant hit 9 sixes. Tim Southee of New Zealand had previously done it in 2008.

That match was also played in a similar fashion. After scoring low in the first innings at Napier, the Kiwis fought back in the second innings with Southee scoring a 40-ball 77 not out at No.10 with the help of four fours and nine sixes, but England eventually took the contest. They are likely to do it again against Pakistan as they have been set an ordinary target of 130 to win on the flattest wicket of the series.

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Razaullah, who earlier took four wickets in the first innings, was bowled short-pitched deliveries by Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue, but instead of getting intimidated, he stood tall and played bravely and unleashed some powerful strokes. His innings has given Pakistan an outside chance now for sure. "I was being selective with which balls to slog, but they all seemed within range. I wanted to take it as deep as possible. I wasn't scared of pace. I wanted to punish the balls from Archer that landed on a hard length. There's nothing to be scared of when you're playing for your country. I was just enjoying myself," Razaullah said after his innings.

For the first time on this tour, Pakistan had some moments to cherish. Seven players, as well as the Test head coach and the bowling coach, were sent back to Pakistan after they lost their second successive game. Life had been hell since for people even remotely involved with Pakistan cricket. But Razaullah’s onslaught on Friday has breathed some life into Pakistan cricket fans. He has undoubtedly been the best visiting player in this game, having also impressed with his pace earlier in the match. His removal of Joe Root via lbw was the highlight of his bowling. Talking about his batting, the 21-year-old later revealed he can’t be intimidated by short-pitched bowling as he prefers playing it.

"I enjoyed the standing ovation. I like to enjoy life, and I was relishing the moment.

“My favourite ball [to face] is the short ball. I just believed in myself. I thought if I played 50 balls, I'd get a positive result. And thankfully that happened," he said.

Prateek Srivastava is a senior sports journalist having been in the profession for two decades now. He started his print career with the India Today Group and later also worked for the Asian Age. In 2009, sensing the wind of change, he switched to the digital media and joined Mobile ESPN. There, he covered the 2011 Cricket World Cup and 2010 Hockey World Cup as a venue reporter. He did plenty of voice-over work too, over there. After leaving Mobile ESPN, Prateek went on to work for Cricketnext, Gocricket and Cricbuzz. At Gocricket (Times Internet Limited), he covered the 2014 T20 World from Bangladesh.