The T20 World Cup 2024, which is now taking place and will be hosted by the United States and the West Indies, is a huge ICC event that has generated a lot of buzz. The thrill of watching new teams take front stage and celebrate cricket’s worldwide expansion only grows from there. In the World Cup encounter that took place in Guyana, match 5, Uganda (UGA) took a major step forward when they faced Afghanistan (AFG).
As the game began, Uganda won the toss in their first World Cup match, and captain Brian Masaba made the bold decision to bowl first. But it was a mistake, as the Afghan openers destroyed the inexperienced Ugandan bowling team with a long opening partnership. Consequently, the Asian country demonstrated total control from the outset.
The stage was set by the massive stand of openers Gurbaz and Zadran.
Afghanistan’s opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz and partner Ibrahim Zadran stepped on the paddle to put the up-and-coming Asian side on the scoreboard. Ugandan captain Masaba attempted, but in vain, to observe how the surface behaved at first. Together, they put together a massive 154-run partnership for the first wicket, which made sure the opposition was always under pressure. Zadran scored 70 off 46 balls, while Gurbaz hit 76 off 45.
Also read: T20 World Cup 2024: Rashid Khan optimistic about Afghanistan, focuses on batting growth
In Twenty20 International cricket, Fazalhaq Farooqi took his first five wickets.
Following that, Afghanistan’s best left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi went through an inexperienced Uganda batting order in the run chase. To destabilise the run chase, the pacer claimed two wickets in the opening over. Furthermore, the Cranes were never able to recover in the match as other Afghan bowlers continued to take wickets at regular intervals. Farooqi was the biggest destroyer overall, taking five wickets in his first-ever five-over quota (5/9) to secure his first-ever five-wicket haul. At 58 for the final wicket in 16 overs, the East African nation was folded for the fourth-lowest score in a Twenty20 World Cup match.
Here’s what the captains of the Afghanistan vs. Uganda match said in the interim:
Rashid Khan, Winning Captain: 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. (On leading the team) 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. Some bowlers, if they don’t have a good day, we have options. Good thing is they always deliver.
Lucky to have those bowlers who are happy to bowl in any stage. Last World Cup (ODI WC in 2023), that gave us so much confidence. That gave us the belief that we are capable of beating any side at any time. It is not just about the skill and the talent, it is also about the belief, and concentrating on what we are doing rather than thinking of what the opposition is doing. (On facing NZ) Big game for us. It is about keeping things simple.
Brian Masaba, Losing captain: Pretty special moment for us, hearing our national anthem and seeing our flag at the World Cup. Something I will cherish for the rest of my life. First game at the World Cup, lot of nerves. Good to get that out of the way. We will look to come out and play better next game. Once the game starts, not a lot of time to think and feel stuff. They got off to a pretty good start and then it was about fighting back.
It was very important how we fought back and full credit to the boys for that. (On what they are taking away from this match) Full credit to Afghanistan. They are one of the top bowling sides in the world, tough to get away. We did not bat at 100% and we can do better than this. We will look to bounce back against PNG.
Fazalhaq Farooqi, POTM: I have missed it (getting the hat-trick) a few times (smiles). Something that is not under my control and if I get a chance again, I will try to get that hat-trick. I tried to bowl a few balls and then see what was happening. I tried to make the most of the swing early on. Later, I tried to bowl the slower balls and mix it up. 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.
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