Afghanistan’s coming-of-age story: no longer a shock or upset

Afghanistan's rise in T20 World Cup led by Farooqi and Gurbaz, challenging India in Super 8 phase.

Who would have imagined, after 40 group stage matches, that an Afghanistan player would be sitting atop both the leading run-scorers’ and wicket-takers’ charts in the T20 World Cup?

The Afghans were quite the unstoppable force until they ran into a tartar against co-hosts West Indies in St. Lucia. They brushed aside Uganda by 125 runs and Papua New Guinea by seven wickets with nearly five overs in hand, but it was with their defeat of New Zealand that announced themselves as serious contenders.

Afghanistan’s strength has traditionally been spin with talismanic captain Rashid Khan as the destroyer in chief. Support has come from Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and the fast-rising Noor Ahmed. Against New Zealand, their commanding 84-run victory was fashioned by a left-arm quick who has blown more cold than hot in the past, but who is having a World Cup to savour.

Fazalhaq Farooqi, only 23, has already played 70 white-ball internationals. The last four, all in this World Cup, have brought him a tournament-high 12 of his 49 wickets in 38 T20Is. He is three wickets clear of seven bowlers perched on nine wickets apiece, among them New Zealand swing exponent Trent Boult, and Akeal Hosein, the West Indies left-arm spinner, signifying that at least so far in this competition, left is right when it comes to bowling.

Farooqi’s 12 wickets have come at an average of 6.66, the second highest among the top eight wicket-takers. He boasts an economy of 5.68 runs per over and a strike-rate of 7.16 balls per wicket, the best of anyone who has sent down more than 24 deliveries. The Afghan pacer killed off the contest against the Kiwis early on with the scalps of Finn Allen (first ball), Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell in his first spell to rock the New Zealand chase.

Afghanistan is an outfit that is comfortable putting runs on the board, and then using their spinners to strangle the opposition. New Zealand was asked to hunt down 160 but fell woefully short, bowled out for 75; Farooqi exposed the soft underbelly, and Rashid and Nabi shared six wickets to consign Kane Williamson’s men to one of their heaviest defeats in all World Cups, ensuring a rare first-round elimination for a team that has made it a habit of inhabiting the knockout rounds in ICC events.

Afghanistan’s 159 for six had been shaped by fearless opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who smashed five fours and as many sixes in his 56-ball 80. Gurbaz is the World Cup’s highest run-scorer, at 167, two runs ahead of West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran. His runs have been attractive and pacy , with an average of 41.75, strike-rate of 150.45, ten fours and ten sixes in 111 balls faced. Gurbaz, who played the business end of IPL 2024 for eventual champions Kolkata Knight Riders after Phil Salt returned to England for national duty, has suddenly emerged as a dependable attacking option at the top of the batting tree, raising hope that Afghanistan is ready to progress beyond ‘dangerous floaters’ capable of the odd upset or two to genuine title aspirants.