Afghanistan Vs Uganda: Gurbaz-Zadran Forge Historic Opening Stand In T20 World Cup

Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran set the second-highest opening partnership in T20 World Cup history with a 154-run stand during Afghanistan's T20 World Cup 2024 opener against Uganda in Guyana on Monday (June 3).

Gurbaz (76 off 45 balls) and Zadran (70 off 46 balls) smashed 13 fours and 5 sixes during their opening wicket stand as Afghanistan posted 183/5 in their allotted 20 overs against Uganda at the Guyana National Stadium in Providence, Guyana.

Gurbaz and Zadran fell 16 runs short of breaking the record for the highest partnership in T20 World Cup history. That record is held by England pair Jos Buttler and Alex Hales, who smashed 170 against India in the 2022 semi-final.

The Gurbaz-Zadran stand, however, eclipsed Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam's opening partnership of 152 for Pakistan against India in the 2021 edition. Here is a look at the top five opening partnerships in T20 World Cup history:

1. Alex Hales & Jos Buttler (England) - 170 vs India in 2022
2. Rahmanullah Gurbaz & Ibrahim Zadran (Afghanistan) - 154 vs Uganda in 2024
3. Mohammad Rizwan & Babar Azam (Pakistan) - 152 vs India in 2021
4. Dwayne Smith & Chris Gayle (West Indies) - 145 vs South Africa in 2007
5. Salman Butt & Kamran Akmal (Pakistan) - 142 vs Bangladesh in 2010

The Afghan opening pair's stand is also the fourth highest partnership in T20 World Cup for any wicket. They are only behind Buttler-Hales, Riley Rossouw-Quinton de Kock, and Kumar Sangakkara-Mahela Jayawardene.

Gurbaz took the lead initially, but Zadran joined him soon after hitting four fours in a row in the sixth over. Afghanistan were going at 11 runs an over at the end of the powerplay as they posted the highest powerplay score in T20 World Cup with 75 runs on the board.

The explosion of boundaries continued for Gurbaz and Zadran as the Uganda bowlers found it tough against the well-set batters. Gurbaz brought up his fifty in the ninth over, his first-ever in T20 World Cups, hitting four sixes and two fours on the way.

In the 10th over, Afghanistan crossed the 100-run mark. Going closer to ten overs, Afghanistan looked well set to score the highest total of the tournament. An eventful 25-run over from Bilal Shah, which included five no-balls and five wides, helped Afghanistan pace past 150.