Rahmanullah Gurbaz put on an epic show of ball-striking against the defending champions which led to an astonishing Afghanistan win on Sunday in Delhi. In what is believed to be a path-breaking victory for the Afghans over the Englishmen, it was Gurbaz who starred in the batting innings taking them to a defendable score. Gurbaz used England’s formula on the Englishmen, as he took the game on right from the start, putting pressure on the England bowlers and taking the attack to them. His crucial innings of 80 off just 57 balls, provided just the right launchpad for the Afghans to reach 284, on a pitch which looked quite slow and sluggish.
Gurbaz was on the charge right from the beginning and allowed no bowler to settle as he kept amassing boundaries at will. His knock included 8 fours and 4 sixes, as he started everything by thumping Woakes over mid-wicket for a huge six. With further contributions from Ikram Akhil and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Afghans went on to post a good total and defended it comfortably, scoring a resounding victory. Gurbaz and all the Afghan players will be extremely pleased with the win and would look forward to rack up the wins and continue the momentum.
