Afghanistan required 13 runs from the last over to win with one wicket in hand. Kagiso Rabada overstepped his mark twice and Noor Ahmad smashed a brilliant six to swing momentum in Afghanistan’s favour. Blue Tigers required two runs off the final three balls and it seems they will walk away with two vital points from the match.
Aakash Chopra was blunt in his criticism of Fazalhaq Farooqi during the latter stages of Afghanistan’s T20 World Cup match against South Africa on Wednesday, February 11, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Afghanistan required 13 runs from the last over to win with one wicket in hand. Kagiso Rabada overstepped his mark twice and Noor Ahmad smashed a brilliant six to swing momentum in Afghanistan’s favour. Blue Tigers required two runs off the final three balls and it seems they will walk away with two vital points from the match.
However, Noor drove the fourth ball to the left of long-off, calling for a couple of runs. Farooqi, who was keeping him company, answered the call but was cut off at the non-striker’s end. Rabada had to collect the toss slightly away from the stumps and then knock the bails off. Farooqi appeared to be a little late coming back on the second run, and a dive at the end would have taken him home. However, he opted against it, and the game ended in a Super Over.
The first Super Over concluded in a tie when Farooqi conceded a six off the final ball while defending 18. The Proteas eventually won the match in the second Super Over, giving them back-to-back victories to start their campaign.
“There is only one way to get out on a no-ball, and that’s run out. Fazalhaq Farooqi got run out. You needed two runs to win, and you should have dived after seeing that there was a run out chance, or at least drag the bat. Aap ne kuch bhi nahi kiya hai (You have done nothing at all),” Chopra said in a video posted on X.
You’ve not just lost this match, but said tata bye bye to the tournament: Aakash Chopra
Afghanistan lost its second defeat in the tournament. They opened with a five-wicket defeat to New Zealand last week. Aakash Chopra believes the Rashid Khan-led side’s campaign is nearly finished following two consecutive losses.
“What have you done, Afghanistan! The match was in your hand, and you just had to close your fist. You’ve not just lost this match, but said tata bye bye to the tournament; you are not going to the next round.”
Aakash Chopra
