Story by Lenon Kangume

Under the floodlights in Guyana at the Providence stadium  Uganda made its mark against Afghanistan at the 2024 T-20 World Cup.

It was never about whether the Ugandan team would come out and beat an Afghanistan side but rather come out and enjoy the moment.  

Uganda won the toss and elected to field. Afghanistan’s opening partnership was 154 runs against Uganda.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran set the tone with their fierce batting performance. Gurbaz scored 76 runs from 45 balls, while Zadran contributed 70 runs off 46 balls.

This impressive partnership helped Afghanistan post a challenging total of 183/5. Notably there were good bowling performances from Brian Masaba and Cosmos Kyewuta who picked two wickets each.

The opening stand between Gurbaz and Zadran is the second-highest in men’s T20 World Cup history, following Jos Buttler and Alex Hales’ 170 for England against India in the 2022 semi-final.

In reply, Uganda struggled and were bowled out for just 58 runs in 16 overs. Fazalhaq Farooqi played a crucial role, taking 5 wickets for Afghanistan.

It was a convincing 125-run win for Afghanistan. Uganda faced a tough introduction to the T20 World Cup, with this 125-run deficit being the third-largest margin of defeat in the competition’s history. 

Afghanistan’s captain, Rashid Khan, praised the team’s overall effort, emphasizing the importance of mindset, while Uganda’s captain, Brian Masaba, looked forward to improving in the next game.