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Afghanistan’s Farooqi leads T20 World Cup pack so far with most wickets
Afghanistan’s next match will be against Papua New Guinea (PNG) on Friday, June 14.
Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi is currently the top wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup 2024. With nine scalps from two games, Farooqi is leading the pack.
If Farooqi keeps on the same path, he will join fellow Afghanistan cricketer Mohammad Nabi as top wicket-taker at a T20 World Cup.
Nabi scooped his accolade at the 2016 T20 World Cup.
Twenty-three year old Farooqi, who hails from Baghlan, has risen to relative fame over the past few years, after having played his debut T20I in March 2021 against Zimbabwe in Abu Dhabi.
Farooqi’s monumental achievements in the Uganda and New Zealand matches are however a new take on Afghanistan’s original stance.
For years, the team’s blueprint was Mujeeb Ur Rahman with the new ball, Mohammad Nabi after the powerplay, and Rashid Khan later on. This was especially applicable to T20s.
The three played such a big role that Afghanistan became synonymous with spinners.
Of late, though, it is becoming more and more evident that Afghanistan are no longer just about their spinners.
For the second successive match at T20 World Cup 2024, Afghanistan’s victory was set up by their openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, and left-arm seamer Farooqi.
In the first match against Uganda, Gurbaz and Ibrahim added 154 in just 14.3 overs to help Afghanistan post 183 for 5. Later, Farooqi dismantled Uganda with a career-best 5 for 9.
If one overlooked their performance by saying it came against an inexperienced side in Uganda, the trio did a repeat against New Zealand on Friday evening.
Apart from being playful, Farooqi is however, someone who is extremely confident in his ability as a bowler.
Talking about Farooqi’s bowling, skipper Rashid Khan said after Saturday’s match: “He is giving us the base we want. Especially in T20s, the powerplay is very important. And the way Farooqi has bowled in the last two games is amazing. He is a very skilful bowler.
“He still needs to improve a lot of things but once he understands how skillful he is, he is going to be very dangerous in future.”
Afghanistan’s next match will be against Papua New Guinea (PNG) on Friday, June 14.
The match starts at 5pm Kabul time and will be broadcast live on Ariana Television.
Fans can however tune in at 4.30pm to watch the pre-match show.
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Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has announced that it will continue providing its essential health services to the people of Afghanistan.
In a post on X, the organization, referring to Afghanistan’s health needs, said that over the past year it has been active in various health sectors across the country, ranging from maternal and child care to emergency response, as well as the treatment of patients suffering from tuberculosis and severe injuries.
According to MSF, its teams over the past year have been present at a range of health facilities, including neonatal intensive care units, operating theatres, surgical centers, and specialized tuberculosis treatment wards, where they have delivered life-saving services to patients.
The organization stressed that it will continue ensuring the provision of health services, particularly for needy families and vulnerable communities in remote areas of Afghanistan.
The Embassy of Afghanistan in Japan, currently run by diplomats of the previous government, has announced that it will suspend its operations in Tokyo after the end of January 2026.
In a statement issued on Friday, the embassy said the decision was made after consultations with Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in close coordination with Japanese authorities, and in accordance with the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The embassy added that after January 31, all of its political, economic, cultural, and consular activities will be halted until further notice.
Currently, Shaida Abdali is serving as Afghanistan’s ambassador to Japan.
Sadin Ayyıldız, Chargé d’Affaires of the Turkish Embassy in Kabul, held a courtesy meeting with Zakir Jalali, the Second Political Deputy of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the occasion of the start of his mission.
The Turkish Embassy in Kabul said in a post that the meeting included mutual exchanges of views on bilateral relations.
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