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.
Changing tides 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 ove.
