Afghanistan vs Uganda highlights, T20 World Cup 2024: AFG beat UGA by 125 runs in Guyana

Farooqi picked up one more wicket in his previous and now he has a five-wicket haul with an over still left. Every delivery he is bowling it seems like he could pick a wicket. The Uganda batters have been not able to pick him whatsoever. In the first spell he did with swinging the ball both ways and in the second spell he mixed up his pace nicely. This will give him huge confidence going forward and it has been a sorry looking score card for Uganda. 

One thing Shah and Obuya have done in the last 15-20 minutes or so is stop the fall of wickets. Yes, they are not batting at a strike rate which will take Uganda to victory with the base they are building now if they can go all guns blazing in the final overs it might give them a bit of confidence going forward. As we update Farooqi has been brought into the attack and he bowled an off-cutter Shah played an ugly swipe and missed it completely and the ball rattled the middle stump. 

Afghanistan has brought spin into the attack. The skipper Rashid khan himself started and as of now,, there is not much of a turn on offer for both the bowlers. One noticeable thing though both the bowlers are bowling it quicker through the air rather than tossing it up and asking the batters to use their strength. Which is understandable as there is dew on the outfield. Afghanistan would like to bowl out Uganda for as low total as possible which gives them a huge NRR boost. 

We have a slight delay here Omarzai seems to have a problem with his landing area at the crease. It has been quite dewy and slippery in the outfield hence the problem. The ball is skidding quicker than it does which has caused all sorts of troubles to Uganada. As per Afghanistan especially Farooqi the opening burst will give him a lot of confidence after an indifferent 50-over World Cup he had in India despite huge expectations on him from the team

Apart from two overs of spin from Mujeeb this has been all pace from Afghanistan. The ball has moved for them and they making the most of it something which Uganda missed in the first innings. Uganda winning from here is a nearly impossible task from here on but what they can do is build a partnership and show some resistance batters getting some runs under the belt will give them confidence going forward in the tournament for the remainder of the games. 

Naveen has come into the attack and he has picked up two more wickets. Uganda have now lost five wickets and things are looking ugly for them. Naveen unlike Farooqi has started by hitting hard lengths and his release point is farther from any bowlers Uganda would have faced one similar to Bumrah and they looked late on the ball. Afghanistan did well in picking five wickets and now they need to also close it out to get that run rate spike and make a statement in the group.

Mujeeb took the new ball from the other end and Seszai tried to sweep him over a fine leg. This is getting quite a bit of pasting for Uganda. They need to build a partnership here instead of worrying about the runs to get. Also, one thing that has been evident in the second innings is that Farooqi is getting a lot of swing with the new ball which is what Uganda even did not attempt. Afghanistan might be dark horses in the tournament they just have the exact bowlers that will suit these conditions. 

A double-wicket over to start for Farooqui first it was Patel who had no answer for a ball that moved back in and then Mukasa was greeted with an inswinging delivery which he missed and gave out LBW. If Afghanistan's batting innings started with a record partnership it has been a contrasting start to Uganda's innings. With those early wickets and runs to chase and the quality of Afghanistan spinners it will be tricky for them from here on. 

Well, it has been quite a comeback in the second half from Uganda. Masaba and Kyewuta have been sensational with their death bowling ability and the slowing of the surface did help their cause as well. Afghanistan would be disappointed by the way they lost their way in the final overs but with the spin threat they have they would feel they have enough for this surface. 

Uganda is chipping away in the last few overs here with wickets. As often it happens in cricket after a big partnership wickets are tumbling and it has been the same case with Afghanistan now. Gulabdin's intention was right but he was holed out long on as he tried to slog one. 

Masaba has picked up another wicket here. It is Najibullah this time who slogged one to leg-side and was caught at square leg which indicates the slowness of the surface. One thing the other batters tonight have to take note of from Gurbaz and Zadran's's partnership is that they have been ruthless with their boundary hitting also they were excellent with their running between the wickets. They found the right balance between attack and defence throughout and that is what other batters too need to do if they want to score runs on this one. 

Finally, the wicket has fallen and it is Masaba who picked up the wicket. Ibrahim tried to charge down the leg-spinner to hit him into the stands missed the ball completely and ball hit the leg-stump. Much needed a wicket for Uganda. The ball is coming a bit slowly now onto the bat and batters are struggling to get their timing. As we update Ramjani picks up Gurbaz. The batter tried to play slog sweep on the leg side got the top edge and the ball went straight into the hands of the square-leg fielder. 

We have a bit of drama here first Zadran hit one through long-on region which should have been taken there by the fielder however, he spilled the chance and Zadran tried to steal a couple but on his way back ball hit Gurbaz and he seemed to be in a bit of discomfort. If you think you have seen everything off that ball it was a no-ball from Hasan to round it off. Uganda dropping chances and with sloppy fielding are not helping themselves. 

The fielding has been a bit sloppy from Uganda. They have let a few singles become doubles and balls that could have been stopped went for boundaries. Ali Shah is the sixth bowler used from Uganada which did not have much of an impact as well. There seems to be slight dew forming on the outfield as well which will be an advantage to Uganda in the second innings but the problem is Afghanistan's spinners are much more experienced bowling with the wet ball. 

Gurbaz has now gone past his 50 what an innings it has been from the Afghan opener. He has been dismissive of seamers with his down the ground and anything that was tossed up from the spinners he danced down the track and whacked them through the long-on boundary. Ibrahim on the other hand has been playing his role as well. Uganda is looking a bit shell-shocked by the stage now playing their first World Cup game ever. Hopefully, drinks time will work for them in their favour. 

Since Powerplay Uganda has pulled things back a bit here. They have been bowling well however, it seems like the skipper has got his field placements wrong as Afghanistan batters are now looking a little uncomfortable it seems like the ball is stopping a bit for now and Uganda needs to make full use of changing conditions and pull things back. Because of the way things are going at the moment and the Afghanistan bowling attack anything over 180 will be an uphill task for Uganda.

Ibrahim who has been the playing second fidel so far has now taken over the aggressive role. He played lovely shots through off-side against Nakrani making it the expensive over of the powerplay. Meanwhile Gurbaz at the other end is not holding himself back. This has been an aggressive start from Afghanistan. Uganada who won the toss and opted to bowl first are now looking on the backfoot they need to pick a wicket here. 

Gurbaz has gone quickly off the blocks here. The batter plays for Guyana in the Caribbean Premier League hence he might have a better understanding of the conditions. Meanwhile, Zadran is looking to take his time from the other end. Uganada from the other end has been a bit too defensive with their bowling. While there has been nothing on offer from the surface with the new ball instead of pitching the ball up and looking for swing they have pulled back lengths too quickly. 

Ramjani has taken the new ball for Uganda and it has been an expensive over first up. Gurbaz of the second ball played a lovely lofted shot over long on to get things underway then he punched one to point to steal a single which the fielder threw with enthusiasm and the ball went for four overthrows. No signs of slowness in the wicked so far. We have to wait and see how it plays once the ball gets a tad bit older.

The Afghanistan openers are walking into the middle. The first game at this venue has been a low-scoring affair and will be interesting to see how the pitch players today. Uganda bowlers will look to make some early breakthroughs and put pressure on Afghanistan batters.

Humidity is 88 percent with all the rain that has been around. Dimensions, it is 70m on one side and 76m on the other, and downtown it’s 84m. Spinners will play a role tonight. We are on the most spin-friendly venue in the West Indies. Expect the likes of Rashid Khan to lick their lips. I think that 160 would be a good score. There will be some swing and seam for the new-ball bowlers but it’s overall a good cricket wicket, reckon Danny Morrison and Samuel Badree

Simon Ssesazi, Roger Mukasa(w), Ronak Patel, Riazat Ali Shah, Dinesh Nakrani, Robinson Obuya, Alpesh Ramjani, Brian Masaba(c), Bilal Hassan, Cosmas Kyewuta, Henry Ssenyondo

Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan(c), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi

In T20s, you need to play a good brand of cricket. Afghanistan was there 10-12 years ago at the same stage, it's something special for them and for us as well. Afghanistan are famous for the quality spinners and we are well prepared for the conditions.

We will bowl first. Looks like a pitch where we are not sure what's a good score and we would like to chase. The idea is to grow cricket in the world and teams like Uganda, Papua New Guines need to be playing more cricket. We are very excited to be here. We needed to get information about the conditions and the previous game here helped us do that.

"Absolutely huge game for us, our first game at a World Cup, first ever for Uganda in our history so we are very excited to get going. Obviously there's a bit of nerves but we've got to keep focused on the game, try and get the result that we need because we need to kick off the tournament in the right way with the good results. So, we're very focused on that but also very excited to get going... the whole country is super proud of what this team has achieved and they're looking forward to seeing us going out there and representing the country with pride. It's a huge responsibility for us, it's not just about the cricket anymore, but we carry a whole country's hopes on our backs."

"Now we're just about focusing on one game at a time and making sure we do the right things and take the right decisions at the right time. That's something I think is going to help us. And don't think about the next round a lot. That's something which is an extra pressure I feel like to be as a player. And It's more about focusing on one game at a time, and we give 100% all the preparation we have done, the hard work we have done. We believe that. And we're making sure we back up our skills... we have those skills and talent, but it's all about making sure you take the right decision at the right time. And that's where it's going to take you to the winning side. So, we are all ready and looking forward to the competition - starts tomorrow for us."

Simon Ssesazi, Roger Mukasa, Robinson Obuya, Alpesh Ramjani, Riazat Ali Shah, Dinesh Nakrani, Brian Masaba (c), Fred Achelam (wk), Frank Nsubuga, Henry Ssenyondo, Cosmas Kyewuta

Simon Ssesazi, Roger Mukasa, Robinson Obuya, Alpesh Ramjani, Riazat Ali Shah, Dinesh Nakrani, Brian Masaba (c), Fred Achelam (wk), Frank Nsubuga, Henry Ssenyondo, Cosmas Kyewuta

Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Gulbadin Naib, Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Ishaq, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (c), Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad

Hello and welcome to our live blog of Afghanistan vs Uganda from the T20 World Cup. Afghanistan the favourite to win the contest do not write off Uganda whose journey has been inspirational to qualify for the tournament. It is going to be a cracking contest and given the way groups are structured a must-win contest for both sides. Stay with us for all the live updates.