Azmatullah Omarzai smacked the fastest half-century for Afghanistan in T20I cricket. He achieved the feat in the opening game against Hong Kong in the Asia Cup. Courtesy of his and Sediq Atal’s knock, the Rashid Khan-led side posted 188 runs in the first innings.
All-rounder Azmatuallah Omarzai created history by smacking the fastest half-century for Afghanistan in T20I cricket. In the Asia Cup opener against Hong Kong, the 25-year-old completed his half-century in just 20 deliveries and, in total, made 53 runs off 21 balls. Even though the opener Sadiqullah Atal looked flawless for the majority of the match, the Afghans were in trouble at one point as the batters failed to execute.
Thatโs when Omarzai stepped up and played some blistering cricket. He smacked two boundaries and five sixes during his stay on the crease and set the record. Meanwhile, Atal made an unbeaten 73 runs off 52 balls, which helped Afghanistan post 188 runs in the first innings.ย
Hong Kong drop five catches
Hong Kong had a rough day on the field. The Yasim Murtaza-led side dropped five catches in the first innings, and that is the reason the team never failed to put any kind of pressure on Afghanistan, despite bowling well in the first ten overs. Notably, the Rashid Khan-led side struggled to play against the spinners at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
When it came to the chase, Hong Kong lost three quick wickets. Anhsuman Rath made golden duck, Zeeshan Ali departed for five, while Nizakat Khan was run out without playing a single ball. They lost three wickets inside three overs. Soon after that, Kalhan Challu departed because of a run-out as well. Now, it’s needless to say, it will be a daunting task for Hong Kong.ย
Hong Kong (Playing XI): Zeeshan Ali (wk), Babar Hayat, Anshuman Rath, Kalhan Challu, Nizakat Khan, Aizaz Khan, Kinchit Shah, Yasim Murtaza (c), Ayush Shukla, Ateeq Iqbal, Ehsan Khan
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Noor Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi