Afghanistans seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi had an immediate influence in Afghanistans 160run defense against New Zealand during the 2024 T20 World Cup group stage clash. The leftarm pacer extended his lead as the leading wickettaker of the tournament with a timely strike at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Friday June 7.
The Rashid Khan led team set up a challenging score after being called in to bat first, and the bowlers have been tasked with defending the total, like they did previously against Uganda. Fazalhaq Farooqi, who can swing the new ball both ways, surprised right-handed Finn Allen with a stunning inswinger straight up.
The opening batsman tried for a tremendous heave right away, but failed to make contact as the ball sneaked through to wreak havoc on the stumps. Look at the dismissal right here.
In the 2024 T20 World Cup, the left-arm pacer has been very effective with the new ball. He had also smashed successive balls in the opening over against Uganda, giving Afghanistan an early edge.
Fazalhaq Farooqi strikes again to dismiss Devon Conway in his second over
Fazalhaq Farooqi challenged Williamson and Conway for the remainder of his first over, allowing only five runs. Nabi kept things tight in the second over, putting pressure on the Blackcaps before returning to bowl his next over.
After a tense match in which New Zealand battled to break free, Fazalhaq Farooqi stepped up to remove Devon Conway. The left-handed opener, who was playing in his first competitive game since February, struggled to create an impression after being dismissed softly. He scored only eight runs off ten deliveries.
Afghanistan is now dominating New Zealand, with second-best pacer Naveen-ul-Haq joining the party. The right-arm pacer came close to removing Kane Williamson, but the New Zealand captain was granted a significant reprieve after an umpire’s decision during DRS.
As of this writing, the Blackcaps are 28-2 after four overs, with eight overs of wrist spin remaining against the increasing needed run rate.