Fazalhaq Farooqi registers fourth-best bowling figures in T20 WC history
What's the story
Fazalhaq Farooqi starred with a stunning five-wicket haul as Afghanistan thrashed Uganda by 125 runs in their opener (Match 5) of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup.
The left-arm pacer was nothing but lethal at Guyana's Providence Stadium as he returned with 5/9 in his four overs.
He recorded the fourth-best bowling figures in the competition's history.
Here are the key stats.
Spell
Farooqi dents Uganda in the chase
Chasing 184, Uganda were off to a horrendous start as Farooqi dismissed Ronak Patel and Roger Mukasa in the opening over.
Uganda couldn't recover thereafter as none of their batters could even touch the 15-run mark.
Farooqi completed his fifer by dismissing Riazat Ali Shah, Robinson Obuya, and Brian Masaba in the 13th over.
His efforts meant Uganada were folded for just 58.
Feats
Fifth Afghanistan bowler with this feat
Meanwhile, Farooqi became the fifth Afghanistan bowler to claim a T20I fifer.
Only Rashid Khan (5/3 versus Ireland, 2017) owns better returns in the format among Afghanistan players.
Meanwhile, Mujeeb Ur Rahman (5/20 versus Scotland, 2021) is the only other Afghanistan bowler with a fifer in T20 WCs.
Farooqi's figures are the best for a left-arm pacer in T20 WCs.
Elite list
Farooqi only behind these names
As mentioned, Farooqi claimed the fourth-best bowling figures in T20 WC history.
He is only behind Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis (6/8 vs Zimbabwe, 2012), SL's Rangana Herath (5/3 vs New Zealand, 2014), and Pakistan's Umar Gul (5/6 versus NZ, 2009).
Overall, the young pacer has raced to 42 T20I wickets across 35 games at an economy of 6.60.
Summary
How did the game pan out?
Earlier in the game, Afghanistan posted 183/5 while batting first as Rahmanullah Gurbaz (76) and Ibrahim Zadran (70) registered a historic 154-run stand.
Notably, Uganada bowlers pulled things back toward the end as they conceded just 27 runs in the final five overs.
However, their batters couldn't put up a fight. Besides Farooki, Naveen-ul-Haq and skipper Rashid Khan claimed two wickets apiece.
Information
100 T20 wickets loading for Farooqi
With this fifer, Farooqi has raced to 97 wickets across 77 T20 matches as his economy rate reads 6.79. This was his maiden five-wicket haul in T20s as well. In T20 WCs, he has tallied eight wickets across four matches (ER: 5.41).