Afghan fast bowler Fazal Haq Farooqi became the first bowler to take five wickets in the T20 World Cup 2024. He achieved this feat in the match between Afghanistan and Uganda which was played in Guyana.
On the same day, South African fast bowler Anrich Nortje had bowled brilliantly, taking four wickets for seven runs in four overs. This World Cup indicates that the fast bowlers are going to get a lot of help and batting will not be easy in this World Cup.
Batting not easy on these pitches
Afghanistan, batting first, put up 183 runs on the board against Uganda. Two youngsters, Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmatullah Gurbaz, put on a lion’s share of 154 runs for the first wicket partnership. Gurbaz scored 76 runs while Zadran made 70 runs.
But as soon as the first wicket fell at 154, Afghanistan’s innings faltered and the lower-order batsmen could not contribute much and the whole team could only manage 183 runs.
Chasing 184 runs, Uganda faced problems from the very first over. After losing two wickets in the first over itself, Uganda was almost out of the match. Fazal Farooqi took three wickets in his first two-over spell.
Then, when he came to bowl in his second spell, he took the remaining two wickets and put Afghanistan in a dominant position in the match.
Farooqi took five wickets for just 9 runs in four overs and his economy rate was 2.2. Along with him, bowler Naveen-ul-Haq also bowled brilliantly. He took two wickets for four runs in two overs. Rashid Khan also showed some signs of returning to form and took two wickets for 12 runs in four overs.
Sri Lanka too struggled against South Africa
And finally, chasing 184 runs, Uganda was bowled out for just 59 runs. A similar scene was witnessed in the first match of the day yesterday between South Africa and Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka, batting first, could only manage 78 runs and the most successful bowler for South Africa was Anrich Nortje who took three wickets for seven runs in four overs.
However, the pitch was very difficult for batting and if Sri Lanka had scored around 130, they might have been able to win the match. But South Africa did not chase the target so easily. After losing four wickets in 17 overs, South Africa was able to chase the target of 78 runs.
So, the pitches in T20 Cup 2024 are not going to be as easy for batting as the other teams had thought. And many teams, if they want to win this tournament, will have to face a reality check that you cannot play shots in one way on these pitches.
You will need skill, you will have to play the game smartly and you will have to take your chances very carefully.
