Uganda’s debut T20 World Cup match didn’t go as planned. Despite defeating Zimbabwe in the qualifying stage, they struggled against a formidable Afghanistan team in the ongoing clash at Providence Stadium, Guyana. Choosing to bowl first, Uganda struggled against Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, as the two Afghan batters dismantled the opposition bowlers with their spectacular batting.
Gurbaz initiated the assault with a series of boundaries, soon joined by Zadran, as Uganda struggled at this high level of competition. The partnership’s highlight was Zadran’s dominant performance against Dinesh Nakrani.
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In his second over of the match, Nakrani was hammered by Zadran for four consecutive boundaries, making the idea of six fours in an over seem possible. Zadran capitalized on Nakrani’s poor lines and lengths to accelerate the scoring. Meanwhile, Gurbaz quickly reached his fifty in just 28 balls, as Uganda’s bowlers have yet to secure a breakthrough.
A 154-run partnership between Gurbaz and Zadran propelled Afghanistan to 183/5 against Uganda
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran’s aggressive opening partnership led Afghanistan to 183/5 against Uganda in their Group C match of the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup at Providence Stadium on Monday.
Their 154-run stand marked the second-highest opening partnership in the men’s T20 World Cup. Gurbaz top-scored with 76 off 45 balls, while Zadran added 70 off 46 balls, helping Afghanistan achieve a competitive total.
Opting to bat first, Afghanistan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran quickly capitalized on favorable batting conditions, with the ball coming onto the bat nicely and a fast outfield. Uganda conceded easy runs due to poor fielding early on.
Gurbaz initially led the charge, but Zadran soon followed, hitting four consecutive fours in the sixth over. By the end of the first powerplay, Afghanistan was scoring at a rate of 11 runs per over.
The 75-0 score is Afghanistan’s highest powerplay total in T20 World Cup history, surpassing their previous best of 64/2 against South Africa at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, in 2016.
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