Afghanistan delivered a dominant performance against Uganda, securing a 125-run victory in their Group C opener at the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup in Guyana on Monday.
Fazalhaq Farooqi’s career-best spell and stellar half-centuries from openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran highlighted the match.
The 23-year-old pacer Farooqi earned the Player-of-the-Match award with figures of five for nine from four overs. Uganda, chasing 184 to win, were bowled out for their record lowest T20I total of 58 in 16 overs at the Guyana National Stadium.
Farooqi’s efforts were complemented by pacer Naveen-ul-Haq and leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who each took two wickets. Uganda’s batting line-up struggled, with no batsman reaching 20 runs.
A solid foundation for Afghanistan
Gurbaz, a member of the Indian Premier League-winning Kolkata Knight Riders, top-scored with 76 off 45 balls, while Zadran supported with 70 off 46 balls. Their partnership of 154 for the first wicket set a solid foundation for Afghanistan, who posted 183 for four from their 20 overs.
Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott praised the team’s performance, emphasizing the importance of starting the tournament with a win. “Our opening partnership was really good and set a great platform,” Trott said. “The exciting thing is there’s still things we can do better, and as a coach that’s obviously the challenge for the players.”
Trott acknowledged the high expectations for his team but stressed the importance of taking it one game at a time. “We’ve got to take it one game at a time. The only thing we’re focused on is our next match against New Zealand, who are a very good side.”
A perfect start
Farooqi gave Afghanistan a perfect start, bowling Ronak Patel for four and trapping Roger Mukasa lbw for a duck off consecutive deliveries in the first over. He narrowly missed a hat-trick but continued to impact the game, catching a top-edged sweep from Simon Ssezai in the second over.
Uganda was reeling at eight for three, and their troubles compounded when Naveen-ul-Haq struck twice in the fifth over, dismissing Dinesh Nakrani and Alpesh Ramjani. Uganda finished the Power Play at 21 for five, and despite a brief stand between Riazat Ali and Robinson Obuya, they succumbed to Farooqi’s return spell, losing their last five wickets for 11 runs in 24 balls.
Earlier, Gurbaz and Zadran’s aggressive start saw Afghanistan reach 66 without loss by the end of the Power Play and 102 without loss at the halfway mark. An eventful 14th over from Bilal Hassan, which included five no-balls and five wides, helped Afghanistan past 150 before Brian Masaba bowled Zadran in the 15th over. Gurbaz was caught in the deep off left-arm spinner Ramjani in the next over, but the openers had already inflicted significant damage.
