Afghanistan set debutants Uganda a target of 184 and then dismissed them for 58 to an emphatic victory in Guyana.
Afghanistan produced a dominant bowling and batting performance to defeat debutants Uganda by 125 runs in the opening game of the T20 World Cup in Guyana.
Afghanistan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran laid the foundation for victory on Monday with an opening stand of 154 in Afghanistan’s 183-5, before left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi dazzled with five wickets for just nine runs, while Uganda were bowled out for 58 from 16 overs.
“It was the kind of start we wanted as a team,” Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan said after the match.
“It doesn’t matter who we play, it’s a question of mentality.
“The hard work we’ve put in over the last few weeks, the way the first few games started and the way our players pitched – it was a great overall team effort.”
Afghanistan looked set for a massive total after Gurbaz’s 76-ball 45, which included four fours and four sixes.
Zadran was in similar form, firing 70 off 46 deliveries, including nine fours and one six.
Gurbaz and Zadran’s opening partnership was the second-highest in men’s T20 World Cup history, beaten only for 170 by England’s Jos Buttler and Alex Hales in 2022.
But when Gurbaz and Zadran fell in the space of four balls, Uganda managed to catch Afghanistan back.
Masaba carved out a piece of cricketing history for the East African nation after taking his country’s first wicket in the World Cup, bowling Zadran at No. 15 to leave the score at 154-1.
Alpesh Ramjani then removed Gurbaz, who was caught by Riazat Ali Shah at deep square leg for 76.
Masaba claimed his second wicket, getting rid of Najibullah Zadran, who was caught at deep square leg by Dinesh Nakrani.
Cosmas Kyewuta took the other two wickets.
𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝟒
𝐃𝐨𝐭𝐬: 𝟏𝟖
𝐑𝐮𝐧𝐬: 𝟗
𝐖𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬: 𝟓
𝐄.𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟐.𝟐𝟓How good was it @FazalFarooqi10 with the ball tonight! #AfghanAtalan | #T20WorldCup | #AFGvUGA | #GloriousNationVictoriousTeam pic.twitter.com/Hxay4Wu9wY
– Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) June 4, 2024
Any hopes of Uganda’s bowling turnaround spreading to their innings were quashed by Fazalhaq in the first over.
After Ugandan opener Ronak Patel got four off Fazalhaq’s first ball, the Afghan bowler hit back with two wickets in his next two deliveries, removing Patel and Roger Mukasa, to leave the Africans reeling at 4-2.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman then had Simon Ssesazi caught by Fazalhaq at the top edge for four as Uganda slipped to 8-3.
Wickets continued to fall and Uganda were soon 18-5 in the fifth over.
Fazalhaq took the wickets of Masaba and Robinson Obuya, both caught behind, to complete his five-wicket haul before skipper Khan cleaned up the tail by dismissing Bilal Hassan lbw and bowling Hendry Ssenyondo.
Uganda captain Masaba took positives from his team’s T20 World Cup debut despite the heavy defeat.
“Very special moment for us, hearing our national anthem and seeing our flag at the World Cup,” said Masaba.
“Something I will cherish for the rest of my life.
“First game in the World Cup, a lot of nervousness. It’s good to get that out of the way. We’ll try to come out and play better in the next game.”
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
