Afghanistan seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi made an immediate impact during Afghanistan’s defense of their 160-run total against New Zealand in the group stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup. The left-arm pacer reinforced his position as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with a crucial strike at Providence Stadium in Guyana on Friday, June 7.
The Rashid Khan-led team posted a competitive total after being asked to bat first, relying on their bowlers to defend it, as they successfully did against Uganda recently. Farooqi, skilled at swinging the new ball both ways, bewildered right-hander Finn Allen with an excellent inswinger on the first ball.
Allen attempted a huge swing but missed entirely, allowing the ball to crash into the stumps. Watch the dismissal here:
https://x.com/SportsProd37/status/1799251608158851540
The left-arm pacer has been deadly with the new ball in the 2024 T20 World Cup. He also took wickets on consecutive deliveries in the first over against Uganda, giving Afghanistan an early edge.
Farooqi strikes again, dismissing Devon Conway in his second over
Farooqi challenged both Williamson and Conway for the rest of his first over, giving up just five runs. Nabi maintained the pressure in the second over, keeping things tight for the Blackcaps as Farooqi prepared to bowl his next over.
After a tense over where New Zealand struggled to break free, Farooqi struck again, dismissing Devon Conway. The left-handed opener, playing his first competitive match since February, was dismissed softly after scoring just eight runs off 10 deliveries.
Afghanistan currently has New Zealand on the ropes, with second pacer Naveen-ul-Haq also making an impact. The right-arm bowler nearly dismissed Kane Williamson, but the New Zealand captain got a major reprieve due to an umpire’s call during DRS.
At the time of writing, the Blackcaps are at 28-2 after four overs and still face eight overs of wrist spin with an increasing required run rate.
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