Afghanistan openers Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz broke the record for most runs as a pair in a T20 World Cup edition on Tuesday during the match against Bangladesh.
The Afghanistan duo have now scored 442 runs in the T20 World Cup 2024 which is more than the 411 notched up by Pakistan’s Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in 2021.
Gurbaz and Zadran added 59 runs for the first wicket against Bangladesh.
Most runs as a pair in a T20 World Cup edition (any wicket)
442 - Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (AFG, 2024)
411 - Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (PAK, 2021)
368 - Jos Buttler, Alex Hales (ENG, 2022)
335 - Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden (AUS, 2007)
321 - KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma (IND, 2021)
Batting first, after winning the toss, Afghanistan posted 115-5 in 20 overs after a clinical bowling display by Bangladesh.
Rishad Hossain was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3-26 in four overs. He took crucial wickets of Gurbaz, Zadran and Gulbadin Naib.
Gurbaz was the top scorer for Afghanistan with 43 runs in 55 balls with the help of three fours and a six.
Rashid Khan played a brisk unbeaten cameo of 19 runs in 10 balls, which was powered by three sixes.
Three teams, India, England and South Africa, have already qualified for the semi-finals of the ongoing event and the fourth one will be decided after the match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
Teams:
Bangladesh (Playing XI): Litton Das (wk), Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Soumya Sarkar, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Nangeyalia Kharote, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi
