Posted by Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz was already more than a match for most bowlers back when he tried to scythe every single delivery through point for four. Recent evidence suggests he’s consulted his protractor and supplemented that angle with a couple more. Further explorations in geometry could get very messy indeed for his opponents.
Way, way back in the Scotch mists of time – barely discernible now that so many other world tournaments have been and gone to wash more ancient memories away – Rahmanullah Gurbaz made 80 off 57 balls against England to secure a supposedly memorable victory for his team at the 2023 World Cup.
On that occasion, England’s bowlers belatedly worked out that if you bowl outside off stump to Gurbaz with fewer than seven point fielders, he’ll unfailingly carve you for four. So they started bouncing him. And he responded by hooking them for six.
Clamping down on an apparent strength can backfire if the batter is so good that what appeared a strength is in fact no such thing. We’re starting to wonder whether having Rahmanullah Gurbaz carve you through point for four is actually the least bad option.
His first scoring shot against South Africa was a four through the covers. A short while later, he hit upon the idea of hitting a little straighter and considerably higher.
As he made his way to 84 off 42 balls, this became his most important shot, supplemented by the fallback option of hitting a six over third if the ball was shorter.
Just as he had against England, Gurbaz was peppering the off side boundary – but on this occasion with the very conspicuous exception of point.
Not only that, but cast your eye to the other half of the field and this is a very weird T20 wagon wheel with only one shot at even faint risk of clipping a cow grazing in its designated corner.
Afghanistan’s coach, Jonathan Trott, top-scored for England in the infamous 2009 defeat at Centurion when Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman went full bovine (Smith was eventually caught at long on, Bosman at deep midwicket) – maybe he’s inculcated in his charges a strong aversion to that quadrant.
Gurbaz wasn’t finished anyway. Rather unusually for a T20 game, he actually played three innings against South Africa.
After scoring a single off the only ball he faced in the first Super Over, our man walked out for the third and final time with Afghanistan needing the small matter of four sixes off four balls in the second Super Over.
Implausibly, he hit three in a row, before – even more incredibly – leaving the fourth delivery.
He didn’t leave it for no reason, of course, and it was duly called a wide. What would this madman do with the crucial extra delivery?
He sliced it straight to a fielder… at point.
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Point well made, KC.
This seems to have been match of the tournament – with Italy’s unexpected ten wicket victory close second?
But overall I dunno about this format. On the one hand the things that are different from test cricket are a bit crap. I see a score of say 190 and think ‘oh that’s good for T20, I’ll look at the scorecard to see who got all the runs’, and then I look and no one player got more than 45. Because 190-6 is only good in T20.
And the things that are the same as the rest this winter are England losing, or winning by the skin of their teeth, while Australia and India cruise on. What’s the point of that eh?
Maybe I should actually watch some of it, somehow.
What a demolition that Italian job was. Those Mosca brothers were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off.
“Sydney raised”, apparently. Pah.
Yes! Sydney schmydney.
Go Zimbabwe! Maybe there is a point to this tournament after all
I’d agree Mr Tim, but now the Associate Members are allowed to participate it spruces things up a bit. It’s rather enjoyable seeing part-timers (at least those without central contracts, i.e., the ones that don’t get paid) wallop over-paid full-timers at the game they’re supposed to be better at.
I think it’s something to do with seeing smug arrogance, and what-have-you, getting it’s comeuppance, a projection of what is currently lacking in this currently dystopian world.
…or maybe it’s just me 🙁
I’m with you on the comeuppance factor.
In completely separate news, I see Pakistan beat the USA. Alas I can’t imagine you-know-who even knows enough about what cricket is to be disappointed.
…and in other intriguing news about orange people/places, USA soundly beat Netherlands (or do I mean Denmark…Iceland…Greenland…) today.
I do hope you-know-who doesn’t find out about the Netherlands. He might think he now owns it/them, although I very much doubt he’ll know where his Netherlands are.
Meanwhile, I’m still in grin mode with Zimbabwe doing the business this morning.