In the opening match of the three-game T20I series against UAE, Afghanistan’s batsman and wicketkeeper, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, showcased a brilliant century. This UAE tour follows Afghanistan’s notable performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they secured victories in four matches and finished sixth overall.
Despite a subdued performance by Gurbaz in the World Cup, the Kolkata Knight Riders’ player aggressively tackled the UAE bowlers right from the start. He rapidly reached a fifty in just 24 balls after Hazratullah Zazai was dismissed. Gurbaz, partnering with Ibrahim Zadran, constructed a formidable partnership of 137 runs.
He achieved his T20I hundred in 50 deliveries but was dismissed shortly after. During his innings, Gurbaz hit seven boundaries and as many sixes, maintaining an impressive strike rate of 192.31. Following Gurbaz’s exit, Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Mohammad Nabi contributed swiftly, allowing Afghanistan to score a total of 201 runs in their 20 overs.
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Maiden T20I Century! A Magnificent Innings By Gurbaz 👏#UAEvAFG pic.twitter.com/RKkVCbaG5Q
— FanCode (@FanCode) December 29, 2023
Zadran scored a steady 59 off 43 balls, Omarzai struck 19 runs off just eight balls, including two fours and a six, and Nabi scored a boundary off his sole delivery. Commenting on the first innings, UAE’s bowler Ali Naseer mentioned during the mid-innings interview that a solid start could be crucial for their team’s chase.
“It was a great experience playing in front of such a crowd. They were obviously supporting Afghanistan but hopefully, we can come back and chase this. It’s a good total but it’s chaseable, the wicket is flat, ground is small and we can chase it down if we get a good start.”
“If you bowl pace-off the ball is stopping a bit and they might do that which we should wait for. It has been great, made my debut here against the West Indies and over the last 6-7 months I am learning a lot from the senior players.”
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