Noor Ali
Encyclopedia
Noor Ali Zadran is an Afghan
cricket
er. Ali is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast
bowler who currently plays for the Afghanistan national cricket team. He cites Ricky Ponting as his cricketing hero and inspiration to play.
in 2004. Ali's debut for the senior team came against Saudi Arabia in the 2006 Middle East Cup.
Ali made his Twenty20
debut for Afghanistan in the 2007 ACC Twenty20 Cup
against Oman.
Ali was a part of the rapidly rising Afghan cricket team that from 2008 to 2009 won the World Cricket League
Division Five
, Division Four
and Division Three
, therefore promoting them to Division Two and allowing them to take part in the 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier
's.
In the World Cup Qualifier, he made his List-A debut against Denmark. Later in the tournament, Ali scored 122 against Canada in the Super Eights in the 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier
; this match predated Afghanistan's ODI status (achieved later in the tournament), but was a List A game. During the tournament Afghanistan gained ODI status. He made his One Day International debut against Scotland, where he scored 45 runs.
in which they would regularly play first-class cricket
against Associate countries.
Ali's first-class debut came in Afghanistan's first first-class match against a Zimbabwe XI. The Zimbabwe XI contained some players with experience of Test cricket
– such as their captain and wicket-keeper
Tatenda Taibu
, and fast bowler
Christopher Mpofu
– and ODI cricket. Ali opened the batting for the inexperienced Afghanistan team and scored a century on his first-class debut. He made 130 runs from 200 deliveries
before he was dismissed by leg-spin
bowler Tafadzwa Kamungozi
. Speaking of his achievement, Ali said:
"It was a very good day for me to get my first first-class century and it was very special to score a hundred for my country. I will never forget this day in my life. It is an unbelievable thing for me to score a century against Zimbabwe and we have done a good job here so far to get ahead of them and we will be doing everything we can to try and win this match".
In Afghanistan's second innings, Ali followed up his heroics in the first innings by hitting exactly a hundred and remaining unbeaten
when the match was declared a draw. Only three other players: Arthur Morris
, Nari Contractor
and Aamer Malik
have hit centuries in both innings of their debut first-class match.
, Ali made a vital half century contribution in Afghanistan's second innings during their Intercontinental Cup match against the Netherlands, helping Afghanistan to a 1 wicket victory.
In November 2009, Ali was a key member of Afghanistan's ACC Twenty20
winning squad.
In January 2010, Ali continued his fine form in first-class cricket by scoring two fifties in Afghanistan's Intercontinental Cup victory over Ireland, with scores of 53 and 57. Following the Intercontinental Cup victory, he made his full Twenty20 International
debut against Ireland in the 2010 Quadrangular Twenty20 Series in Sri Lanka
.
Following the tournament, Ali was a member of Afghanistan's victorious 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier
winning squad and was later named in Afghanistan's squad for the 2010 ICC World Twenty20
.
Following the tournament, Ali made his maiden ODI century, with a score of 114 against Canada at Sharjah
. In the following Intercontinental Cup match with Canada
, he scored 52 runs in Afghanistan's second innings, sharing an opening stand of 70 with Karim Sadiq as Afghanistan successfully chased 494 for victory.
In April, Ali was a key member of Afghanistan's 2010 ACC Trophy Elite
winning squad which defeated Nepal in the final. Earlier in the tournament he scored 108 runs from 88 balls against Bhutan.
against India, Ali struck 50 from 48 balls and shared in a paternership of 68 with Asghar Stanikzai. Ali's 50 could not save Afghanistan from a 7 wicket defeat. In the teams second match against South Africa, Ali was one of a number of Afghan batsman who were unable to cope with the express pace of the South African attack, with Ali being caught behind by Mark Boucher
from the bowling of Dale Steyn
.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er. Ali is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast
Seam bowling
Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers....
bowler who currently plays for the Afghanistan national cricket team. He cites Ricky Ponting as his cricketing hero and inspiration to play.
Career
Ali made his representative international debut for the Afghanistan U-17 cricket team against the United Arab Emirates Under-17sUnited Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
in 2004. Ali's debut for the senior team came against Saudi Arabia in the 2006 Middle East Cup.
Ali made his Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
debut for Afghanistan in the 2007 ACC Twenty20 Cup
2007 ACC Twenty20 Cup
-3rd place play-off:-Final:...
against Oman.
Ali was a part of the rapidly rising Afghan cricket team that from 2008 to 2009 won the World Cricket League
World Cricket League
The ICC World Cricket League is a series of international one-day cricket tournaments for national teams without Test status, administered by the International Cricket Council. All associate and affiliate members of the ICC are eligible to compete in the league system, which features a promotion...
Division Five
2008 ICC World Cricket League Division Five
The 2008 ICC World Cricket League Division Five is a cricket tournament that took place between 23 and 31 May 2008 in Jersey. It forms part of the ICC World Cricket League and qualifying for the 2011 Cricket World Cup.-Teams:...
, Division Four
2008 ICC World Cricket League Division Four
The 2008 ICC World Cricket League Division Four is a cricket tournament in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, which took place between 4 and 11 October 2008 as a part of the ICC World Cricket League and qualifying for the 2011 Cricket World Cup.-Teams:...
and Division Three
2009 ICC World Cricket League Division Three
The 2009 ICC World Cricket League Division Three was a cricket tournament that took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina from January 24 to 31 2009. It formed part of the ICC World Cricket League and qualifying for the 2011 Cricket World Cup....
, therefore promoting them to Division Two and allowing them to take part in the 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier
2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier
The 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier was a cricket tournament that took place in April 2009 in South Africa. It was the final qualification tournament for the 2011 Cricket World Cup....
's.
In the World Cup Qualifier, he made his List-A debut against Denmark. Later in the tournament, Ali scored 122 against Canada in the Super Eights in the 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier
2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier
The 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier was a cricket tournament that took place in April 2009 in South Africa. It was the final qualification tournament for the 2011 Cricket World Cup....
; this match predated Afghanistan's ODI status (achieved later in the tournament), but was a List A game. During the tournament Afghanistan gained ODI status. He made his One Day International debut against Scotland, where he scored 45 runs.
First-class debut
Afghanistan's success in the World Cup Qualifier qualified the team for the 2009–10 ICC Intercontinental Cup2009–10 ICC Intercontinental Cup
The 2009–10 ICC Intercontinental Cup is the fifth edition of the ICC Intercontinental Cup tournament, an international first-class cricket tournament between nations who have not been awarded Test status by the International Cricket Council. The first fixtures will be played in July 2009. The...
in which they would regularly play first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
against Associate countries.
Ali's first-class debut came in Afghanistan's first first-class match against a Zimbabwe XI. The Zimbabwe XI contained some players with experience of Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
– such as their captain and wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
Tatenda Taibu
Tatenda Taibu
Tatenda Taibu is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a wicketkeeper and batsman, and can also bowl right arm off spin. On 6 May 2004, he became the youngest Test captain in history, when he captained his team against Sri Lanka....
, and fast bowler
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
Christopher Mpofu
Christopher Mpofu
Christopher Bobby "Chris" Mpofu is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He has represented Zimbabwe at , and level.-Career:Mpofu made his first-class debut for Matabeleland against Manicaland in March 2004, taking three wickets on debut....
– and ODI cricket. Ali opened the batting for the inexperienced Afghanistan team and scored a century on his first-class debut. He made 130 runs from 200 deliveries
Delivery (cricket)
A delivery or ball in cricket is a single action of bowling a cricket ball towards the batsman.During play of the game, a member of the fielding team is designated as the bowler, and bowls deliveries towards the batsman...
before he was dismissed by leg-spin
Leg break
A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of...
bowler Tafadzwa Kamungozi
Tafadzwa Kamungozi
Tafadzwa Kamungozi is a Zimbabwean cricketer who bowls leg break. He has been picked in the Zimbabwean squad for the 2006 Champions Trophy without having played any One-day Internationals before, though he did play for a Zimbabwe Board XI in a three-match series against an Australian Academy team...
. Speaking of his achievement, Ali said:
"It was a very good day for me to get my first first-class century and it was very special to score a hundred for my country. I will never forget this day in my life. It is an unbelievable thing for me to score a century against Zimbabwe and we have done a good job here so far to get ahead of them and we will be doing everything we can to try and win this match".
In Afghanistan's second innings, Ali followed up his heroics in the first innings by hitting exactly a hundred and remaining unbeaten
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
when the match was declared a draw. Only three other players: Arthur Morris
Arthur Morris
Arthur Robert Morris MBE is a former Australian cricketer who played 46 Test matches between 1946 and 1955. An opener, Morris is regarded as one of Australia's greatest left-handed batsmen. He is best known for his key role in Don Bradman's Invincibles side, which made an undefeated tour of...
, Nari Contractor
Nari Contractor
Nariman Jamshedji "Nari" Contractor is a former cricket player. He was left-handed opening batsman whose international career was ended abruptly by a serious injury....
and Aamer Malik
Aamer Malik
Aamer Malik is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in 14 Tests and 24 ODIs from 1987 to 1994. In 1987 he took over from Ray Berry as the professional at Hyde CC, playing in the Central Lancashire League....
have hit centuries in both innings of their debut first-class match.
Later tours
During Afghanistan's tour of the Netherlands in 2009Afghanistan cricket team in the Netherlands in 2009
The Afghanistan cricket team toured the Netherlands in 2009. They played two One Day Internationals and an Intercontinental Cup match against the Netherlands. Afghanistan won the Intercontinental Cup match by 1 wicket, the countries first international first-class win...
, Ali made a vital half century contribution in Afghanistan's second innings during their Intercontinental Cup match against the Netherlands, helping Afghanistan to a 1 wicket victory.
In November 2009, Ali was a key member of Afghanistan's ACC Twenty20
2009 ACC Twenty20 Cup
The 2009 ACC Twenty20 Cup was played between 22–30 November 2009 in the United Arab Emirates.The twelve competing teams were: Afghanistan, Bahrain, China, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the UAE....
winning squad.
In January 2010, Ali continued his fine form in first-class cricket by scoring two fifties in Afghanistan's Intercontinental Cup victory over Ireland, with scores of 53 and 57. Following the Intercontinental Cup victory, he made his full Twenty20 International
Twenty20 International
A Twenty20 International is a form of cricket which is played over 20 overs per side between two national cricket teams. The game is played under the rules of Twenty20 cricket...
debut against Ireland in the 2010 Quadrangular Twenty20 Series in Sri Lanka
2010 Quadrangular Twenty20 Series in Sri Lanka
2010 Quadrangular Twenty20 Series in Sri Lanka is a tournament of Twenty20 cricket matches that will be held in Sri Lanka from 1 February to 4 February 2010. The four participating teams are Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland and Sri Lanka A. The matches will be played in Colombo.-Squads:-Points...
.
Following the tournament, Ali was a member of Afghanistan's victorious 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier
2010 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier
The 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier was played from February 9–13, 2010 in the United Arab Emirates and a part of ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier series...
winning squad and was later named in Afghanistan's squad for the 2010 ICC World Twenty20
2010 ICC World Twenty20
-------------------------------------------------Group A:---------Group B:---------Group C:---------Group D:---------Super 8s:...
.
Following the tournament, Ali made his maiden ODI century, with a score of 114 against Canada at Sharjah
Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium
The Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium is in the emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. It was originally constructed in the early 1980s and has been much improved over the years...
. In the following Intercontinental Cup match with Canada
Canadian cricket team against Afghanistan in UAE in 2009–10
The Canadian cricket team played the Afghan cricket team in 2010 in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Owing to the security situation in Afghanistan, they are unable to play home games in their own country, and so play home series in various locations in the Middle East and Indian subcontinent...
, he scored 52 runs in Afghanistan's second innings, sharing an opening stand of 70 with Karim Sadiq as Afghanistan successfully chased 494 for victory.
In April, Ali was a key member of Afghanistan's 2010 ACC Trophy Elite
2010 ACC Trophy Elite
The 2010 ACC Trophy Elite was a cricket tournament in Kuwait, taking place between March 31 and April 9, 2010. It gives Associate and Affiliate members of the Asian Cricket Council experience of international one-day cricket and also helps forms an essential part of regional rankings...
winning squad which defeated Nepal in the final. Earlier in the tournament he scored 108 runs from 88 balls against Bhutan.
2010 ICC World Twenty20
In Afghanistan's inaugural match in the 2010 ICC World Twenty202010 ICC World Twenty20
-------------------------------------------------Group A:---------Group B:---------Group C:---------Group D:---------Super 8s:...
against India, Ali struck 50 from 48 balls and shared in a paternership of 68 with Asghar Stanikzai. Ali's 50 could not save Afghanistan from a 7 wicket defeat. In the teams second match against South Africa, Ali was one of a number of Afghan batsman who were unable to cope with the express pace of the South African attack, with Ali being caught behind by Mark Boucher
Mark Boucher
Mark Verdon Boucher is a South African cricketer, who holds the record for the most Test dismissals by a wicket-keeper. He was educated at Selborne College and has represented Border, Africa XI, ICC World XI, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders of the Indian Premier League, and...
from the bowling of Dale Steyn
Dale Steyn
Dale Willem Steyn is a South African cricketer who plays in Test and One Day International cricket for South Africa. He is currently the number one ranked Test bowler in the world and achieved the 900+ points benchmark on 13th Nov 2011. Steyn plays domestic cricket in South Africa for Cape Cobras...
.
One day international centuries
- In the column Runs, * indicates being not out
- The column title Match refers to the Match Number of the player's career
| | Runs | | Match | | Against | | City/Country | | Venue | | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [1] | 114 | 4 |  Canada Canada |
Sharjah, UAE | Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium The Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium is in the emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. It was originally constructed in the early 1980s and has been much improved over the years... |
2010 |
External links
- Noor Ali on CricinfoCricinfoESPNcricinfo is believed to be the largest cricket-related website on the World Wide Web. Content includes news,articles, live scorecards,live text commentary and a comprehensive and searchable database called 'StatsGuru', of historical matches and players from the 18th century to the present...
- Noor Ali on CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...
- Matches and detailed statistics for Noor Ali