(ICC Credit)
In Afghanistan’s T20 World Cup opener against debutants Uganda, pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi unleashed a formidable spell following Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran’s impressive opening stand. Gurbaz (76 off 45 balls) and Zadran (70 off 46 balls) orchestrated a fluent partnership, accumulating 154 runs, the second-highest in men’s T20 World Cup history. Asked to bat first, Afghanistan posted a challenging 183/5. Left-arm pacer Farooqi’s stellar performance (5/9) then dismantled Uganda’s batting lineup, restricting them to a mere 58 runs in 16 overs.
“The kind of start we wanted as a team. Does not matter who we play, it is about the mindset. The hard work we have done in the last few weeks, the way the openers started and the way our bowlers bowled – it was a great overall team effort,” skipper and country’s biggest cricket icon Rashid Khan said after the match.
The skipper, who himself polished off the tail, expressed his excitement of leading the country at a global event.
“Super exciting, proud feeling to be leading the team in the World Cup. Enjoying it so far, and have some tough games coming up. That is the beauty of this team. We have so many options and that makes it easy as a captain,” world’s premier T20 spinner said.
Farooqi’s prowess was evident as he outsmarted Riazat Ali Shah with a well-disguised slower delivery, sending his stumps flying. He then induced a nick off skipper Brian Masaba’s bat, eagerly collected by Gurbaz behind the stumps. Although a hat-trick eluded him, Farooqi clinched his fifth wicket off the final ball of the over.
“I kept it simple and wanted to hit the wickets. Playing franchise cricket helps you improve and helps on the big stage as well. Playing with so many big players, it helps in dealing with pressure and in bowling in the right areas,” said Farooqi, who has played for SRH in previous editions of IPL.
Afghanistan’s openers capitalized on favorable batting conditions and a fast outfield from the outset. Gurbaz initiated the aggression by launching the second delivery of the innings for a six. Zadran swiftly joined in, smashing four consecutive boundaries off Dinesh Nakrani in the sixth over.
By the end of the first powerplay, Afghanistan was scoring at an impressive rate of 11 runs per over. Gurbaz reached his fifty off just 28 balls in the ninth over, while Zadran achieved his half-century in the 12th over, having hit nine boundaries and one six.
Uganda’s lackluster fielding exacerbated their woes, exemplified by Gurabaz being dropped off a no ball in the 14th over, which yielded 25 runs as Afghanistan raced to 150.
While it seemed that the duo would bat through the entire 20 overs, Uganda’s bowlers mounted a comeback, preventing the total from crossing the 200-run mark.
Afghanistan faces a significantly tougher challenge in their next match against a formidable New Zealand side.
“Big game for us. It is about keeping things simple,” said Rashid.
