Flashback: Spanish batsman scores two T20 centuries on the same day
Surely, scoring a hundred in a T20 match is an event that does not happen often for a batsman. But then, how about scoring 2 T20 centuries on the same day? How would the batsman feel, if he has accomplished this stupendous feat?
Well, ask Tariq Ali from Spain, and he will tell you how it feels. On 4th September 2012, the Spain outfit was slated to feature in two matches on the same day, against Estonia and Portugal respectively. And, Tariq Ali etched his name in history by plundering centuries against both these teams.
He first absolutely destroyed the Estonia bowling attack. In a 66-ball knock, Ali scored 150*, and his innings was embellished with 5 fours and 16 sixes, which means that he scored a colossal 116 runs in boundaries alone.
Ali’s marathon knock enabled his side to post a gargantuan total of 218/6 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, the Estonia side produced a shoddy performance with the willow. They could only score 93/9 in 20 overs, as the Spain side pulverized them by a margin of 125 runs.
And then, came that whirlwind assault on the Portugal outfit on the same day from the willow of Tariq Ali. And against Portugal too, Ali was in the mood for complete annihilation. He scored 148 runs, off just 55 deliveries, and helped Spain post a total of 248/6 on the board.
Even though Portugal put up a decent show with the bat, they were nowhere close to overhauling the target set by Spain. In their allotted 20 overs, the Portugal side could only muster a total of 173/7, as Spain thrashed them by 75 runs.
Tariq Ali is, however, not the first man ever to score two centuries on the same day across formats. In August 1986, KS Ranjitsinhji achieved this feat against Yorkshire. Playing for the Sussex side, Ranjitsinhji scored 100 in the first innings and followed that up by scoring a marvellous 125* in the second innings on the same day.
