Ashar-ing in an era of black bats

Shane Warne comments on the Pakistan-born's peculiar bat

Essex all-rounder Ashar Zaidi scored 59 off 24 balls to guide his side to victory over Middlesex in NatWest T20 Blast match at Lord’s on Thursday. However, the Pakistan-born was not only noted for his performance but also for the black bat he used.

Our Master Blaster today can only be one man. Take a bow, @asharzaidi1981! #Blast16 🚀https://t.co/CN922mdHjv

— Vitality Blast (@VitalityBlast) July 29, 2016

The man of the match smashed five sixes with his black blade which drew amazement from spectators as well as commentator and Australian spin great Shane Warne.



“What’s going on with his bat?” remarked Warne while commentating for Sky Sports as Zaidi came to bat.

“What colour is that bat? Is it the back of the bat or the front of the bat?

“Are we allowed to do this?”

The 35-year-old went on to score the winning runs with three deliveries to spare as Essex won by five wickets.

ZAIDI | @ravibopara talks Ashar Zaidi on @SkyCricket: "He's the best signing since @Arsenal signed Dennis Bergkamp!" pic.twitter.com/UQkVkEvhuU

— Essex Cricket (@EssexCricket) July 29, 2016

And Warne went on to draw a comparison between Zaidi and West Indian opener Chris Gayle, who used a golden bat in Big Bash League.

“I remember Chris Gayle having a gold bat,” he said. “But well Chris can do whatever he likes.”

However, this statement made everyone in the commentary box chuckle when the Australian’s co-commentator responded by saying ‘Well, not always’, making an obvious reference to the West Indian’s recent controversial remarks in the media.

Nevertheless, the colour of Zaidi’s weapon is not the first time anyone has used a black bat in a cricket match. Previously, the bats were used in Stanford 2020 competition in Antigua.

This article initially appeared on Sky Sports