Indian cricketer Manav Sutar sets historic record by taking wickets in both innings without conceding a run

During the match in Sher-e-Punjab T20 League 2026 on Tuesday, March 8th, Naman Dir created a real storm on the field in Mohali. This all-round player for the Mumbai Indians team, playing for Amritsar Surmas, scored 173 runs off just 64 balls. His performance included 16 fours and 12 sixes, and he set the largest individual score in the history of the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League.

In the match, which took place at the PCA IS Stadium in Mohali, Mohali Kings captain Ramandeep Singh decided to start the game with a coin toss, choosing to play defensively first. Naman Dir came out onto the field for Amritsar Surmas as the first batsman. Usually, Dir plays in the lower or middle order, but this time he had the opportunity to start the innings.

In the first over, he had to face three deliveries without scoring. However, after that, he gained incredible momentum, and the Mohali players could not respond to his attack. By the second over, Dir had hit two sixes. By the end of the powerplay, he was scoring 53 runs off just 19 balls.

The most dangerous moment in the game was the 12th over. Lavdip Chata, who initially allowed Dir to face three dot balls, received his 'reckoning' in this match. In Chata's over, Dir first hit two fours, followed by three consecutive sixes. Furthermore, Chata bowled a no-ball. 30 runs were scored in this over.

After this, Dir crossed his century mark in just 38 balls. His century was achieved not through a large number of fours and sixes, but due to the explosive pace of his attack.

Dir did not stop there. In the next over, Abhishek Sharma joined him. Jaspreet Singh was dismissed for 41 runs off 25 balls bowled by Harpreet Barra. Abhishek hit two sixes immediately after coming in, but was removed from the game by Tejpreet Singh's ball. In the same over, Tejpreet took three sixes, two of which were hit by Naman Dir. Then, in the 16th over, Dir hit two more sixes off Harpreet Barra's balls and reached the mark of 150 runs off just 54 balls.

Dir's storm finally ended in the last over. He was caught by Harshdeep Singh off Ayush Goel's bowling. Dir concluded his historic innings by scoring 173 runs off 64 balls, including 16 fours and 12 sixes, totaling 28 boundaries. Thanks to this innings, Amritsar Surmas managed to score an impressive total of 279/7 in 20 overs. Although Ayush Goel took four wickets, Dir's fiery performance significantly reduced the impact of his overs.

According to records, Naman Dir set the record for the highest individual score in the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League. Nevertheless, in overall T20 cricket, the record for the highest score belongs to Chris Gayle with 175 runs. Since inter-state leagues are not included in the official T20 record books, this innings is also not included. If this league were recognized as T20 status, and Dir could surpass Gayle's score of 175 runs, it would be another milestone. In any case, his innings of 173 runs brought great joy to his IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians.

Currently, the Pakistan team is on tour in England, where their performances have not yielded the expected results. The team has lost two consecutive Test matches, trailing the series 0-2. Now, the Pakistani team aims to win the final match of the series, scheduled for September 9th, to avoid the disgrace of a complete defeat. Significant changes have also occurred within the Pakistani squad ahead of the Edgbaston match: seven players were dropped, and the coaching staff underwent reshuffles.

Despite the current difficult period, the Pakistani team once held a very strong reputation in world cricket, featuring many outstanding athletes. Among them, one cannot forget the left-handed opener Saeed Anwar, whose trademark was the ability to score quickly from the start thanks to excellent timing and shot placement.

Saeed Anwar's international career, which marked his 58th birthday on September 6th (Sunday), spanned from 1990 to 2003. For Pakistan, he amassed thousands of runs in both Tests and ODIs. In 1997, during an ODI against India in Chennai, he played a knock of 194 runs off 146 balls, which was the highest individual score in an ODI at that time. He approached two hundred runs but was caught by Saurav Ganguly off a Sachin Tendulkar delivery.

Interestingly, this record of Saeed Anwar was matched in 2009 by Charles Coventry of Zimbabwe, who scored 194 runs without being dismissed. Subsequently, in 2010, Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar played a historic innings of 200 runs without being out against South Africa, thereby surpassing Anwar's record.

Anwar batted actively not only in ODIs but also in Tests, where he also registered many big scores. It is worth noting that many of his best Test performances took place on foreign soil. In 1994 in Wellington against New Zealand, he scored 169 runs, marking his first Test century. Two years later, in Hove against England, he delivered an impressive innings of 176 runs. In 1998, in a Test match against India in Calcutta, Anwar remained unbeaten on 188 runs, which was his highest Test score. His batting attracted attention because he hit boundaries not so much through power as through mastery of timing and placement.

For Pakistan, Saeed Anwar scored 4052 runs in 55 Test matches, maintaining an average of 45.52, and scored 11 centuries and 25 half-centuries. His ODI statistics were even more impressive: in 247 matches, he accumulated 8824 runs, including 20 centuries and 43 half-centuries. He was particularly renowned for his magnificent drives off the off-side. If a bowler left even a small gap outside the mid-stump, Anwar would immediately drive the ball to the boundary. His game combined aggression with a special kind of beauty.

Saeed Anwar's Test career concluded under very emotional circumstances. In August 2001, in a Test match against Bangladesh in Multan, he scored 101 runs, which was his 11th and final Test century. In that match, Pakistan posted a formidable total of 546/3 in the first innings, and five batsmen from the team scored centuries. This unique record of five centuries in one Test match is jointly held by Pakistan and Australia. However, for Anwar, this match brought more pain than joy.

After his daughter Bismah, who was three and a half years old, passed away after a long illness just two days after his century in the Multan match, Anwar returned to Lahore. After this tragedy, he did not play any more Test matches. He stepped away from cricket for some time, and his life changed. This is why the 101 runs scored in Multan entered the list of the most memorable and touching centuries of his career.

Having lost his daughter, Saeed Anwar returned to ODIs and scored a century against India in the 2003 World Cup. Although Pakistan lost that match, Anwar's innings was magnificent. He dedicated this century to his daughter Bismah. This innings became one of the most emotional moments of his international career.

Saeed Anwar announced his retirement from international and first-class cricket on August 15, 2003. Following this, he engaged in religious activities and began growing a beard. Anwar actively participated in events related to the propagation of Islam. Muhammad Yusuf, a former batsman for Pakistan, was also significantly influenced by Anwar in life. Yusuf converted to Islam in 2004 and later stated that Saeed Anwar had provided him with great assistance during his religious change. Before converting to Islam, Yusuf was known as Yusuf Johana.

During the Women's Asian Cup held in Dubai, in a Group B match against Indonesia, Sri Lanka's captain Chamari Atapattu achieved a historic feat. At the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, she took seven wickets while conceding only 5 runs.

Thus, Atapattu became the first player in the history of any Asian Cup (both women's and men's) to take seven wickets in a single match. In 3.3 overs, she completely dismantled the attacking capabilities of the Indonesian team. Furthermore, in the 19th over, she took a hat-trick, claiming three wickets on the first three balls.

Thanks to her powerful performance, the entire Indonesian team was dismissed in 18.3 overs, scoring only 49 runs. Consequently, Sri Lanka won the match with a score of 75 runs.

Previously, the best performance in the Asian Cup belonged to Jaweria Khan from Pakistan, who took six wickets for 8 runs against Bangladesh in the 2008 Women's Asian Cup. Now, the record for seven wickets in one match in the Asian Cup belongs to Chamari Atapattu.

Chamari Atapattu's achievement is not limited to the Asian Cup; it is also the best performance for a Sri Lankan bowler (male or female) in T20 International. She broke the record of Ajtanda Mendis, who took 6 wickets for 8 runs against Zimbabwe in September 2012.

Chamari Atapattu is also the first bowler in the history of the T20I Asian Cup (women's or men's) to take six or more wickets. Before this, in the women's version of the T20I Asian Cup, three bowlers from Pakistan and one from Thailand had taken five wickets consecutively. In the men's version of the T20I Asian Cup, the only bowler to have taken five wickets is Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Moreover, Chamari Atapattu became the second captain in the world to take seven wickets in a T20 International match. Before her, this feat was accomplished by Alison Stokes from Argentina, who took 7 wickets for 3.4 overs, conceding 3 runs, against Peru on October 14, 2022.