In the world of cricket, records are made to be broken. The T20 World Cup 2024 has witnessed a historic moment as Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran equalled a record previously held by India’s Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Afghanistan duo’s record-breaking feat at T20 World Cup
Gurbaz and Ibrahim have become the second pair in the history of men’s T20 World Cup to stitch two hundred-plus partnerships in successive matches. This feat was first achieved by Kohli and Rohit during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2014 in Bangladesh.
The Afghan duo’s record-equaling performance came in their matches against Uganda and New Zealand. In the opener against Uganda, they put up a formidable 154-run stand, leading their team to a 125-run victory. In the subsequent match against New Zealand, they added another 103 runs, matching the record for most successive 100-run partnerships.
Gurbaz, in particular, has been in stellar form. He has become the leading run-getter in the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup, scoring 156 runs and surpassing Aaron James of the USA. His aggressive batting, marked by five fours and five sixes against New Zealand, has been instrumental in Afghanistan’s strong performance.
Ibrahim Zadran, on the other hand, has been the perfect foil to Gurbaz’s aggression. His steady batting, including a 44 off 41 balls against New Zealand and a 70 against Uganda, has provided the necessary balance to the Afghan batting line-up.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran are the first opening pair with consecutive century partnerships at the men's #T20WorldCup 🙌 https://t.co/sdNKePbuLU #NZvAFG pic.twitter.com/ypVoA5jwVw
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 8, 2024
Their record-equaling partnership was aided by some sloppy fielding from New Zealand. The BlackCaps, playing their first game, dropped catches and missed run-out opportunities in the powerplay. Both Gurbaz and Ibrahim were dropped once each in the powerplay, and they capitalized on these opportunities to get Afghanistan to a competitive total.
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