Afghanistan's openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran recorded the second-highest opening partnership in T20 World Cup history, scoring 154 runs in their team's first match of the 2024 tournament against Uganda on Tuesday, June 4. The right-handed duo surpassed the previous 152-run record held by Pakistan's Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, set against India in 2021, moving into second place on the all-time list of T20 World Cup first-wicket partnerships. Only England's Jos Buttler and Alex Hales have amassed more runs as an opening pair in a single T20 World Cup innings than Gurbaz and Zadran.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz-Ibrahim Zadran's record partnership
Afghanistan's batting duo of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran rewrote history in the T20 World Cup. Their partnership not only became the highest opening stand for Afghanistan in the tournament, but it also surpassed the previous record of 98 runs set by Mohammad Nabi and Samiullah Shinwari in 2016. Playing against Uganda in Guyana, Gurbaz and Zadran dominated the inexperienced bowling attack. They capitalised on the PowerPlay overs, scoring a rapid 66 runs in the initial phase. Gurbaz was the aggressor early on, smashing boundaries with ease. Zadran wasn't far behind, showcasing his power with four consecutive fours in a single over bowled by Dinesh Nakrani. Notably, this was the first time the young pair (both aged 22) had stitched together a century partnership in T20 internationals.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz-Ibrahim Zadran power Afghanistan to big total
Afghanistan's openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, laid a strong foundation for their team's total. Gurbaz played a blistering knock of 76 runs from just 45 balls. His explosive innings, featuring four boundaries and four sixes, struck a major blow to Uganda in their T20 World Cup debut. His quick scoring at a strike rate of nearly 170 also gave Zadran some time to settle in. Zadran, also 22 years old, took a little longer to adjust to the Guyana pitch but eventually unleashed his power on the Ugandan bowlers. He scored 70 runs off 46 balls, with his knock including nine fours and a six. However, Uganda managed to break the crucial partnership in the 15th over. This breakthrough helped them stage a fightback and restrict Afghanistan to a total of 183 for 5.
Later, Afghanistan rode on Fazalhaq Farooqi's five-wicket haul to bundle out Uganda for a paltry 58 and win the match by 125 runs.
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