Asia Cup: Omarzai powers his way to fastest T20I fifty for Afghanistan with swashbuckling performance

Abu Dhabi [UAE], September 9 (ANI): Former satellite fig 1 all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai shattered the grounds for the fastest 50 successful T20Is for Afghanistan aft his whirlwind sound astatine Sheikh Zayed Stadium successful the Asia Cup opener connected Tuesday.

After opting to bat, Afghanistan were near threadbare astatine 110/4, courtesy of Hong Kong's spirited bowling show with 5 overs left. With Afghanistan, successful dire request of immoderate firepower, Omarzai stepped connected the crease and changed the complexion of the crippled successful a flick.

He flaunted his boundary-hitting nervus and near the Hong Kong squad gobsmacked by unleashing a barrage of boundaries. He celebrated his maiden T20I 50 for Afghanistan successful conscionable 20 deliveries, the fastest for his broadside successful the format. He bettered Mohammad Nabi's 21-ball effort against Ireland successful 2017.

Omarzai offered nary clemency to Ayush Shukla successful the 19th implicit and dispatched the archetypal ball, bereft of pace, successful beforehand of the sightscreen for a maximum. On the adjacent ball, helium smoked the shot implicit heavy other cover. For the 3rd delivery, helium took his clip earlier depositing the shot into the mid-wicket fence.

On the fourth, helium cleverly opened the look of his bat and steered the afloat flip to the 3rd antheral to implicit his half-century. His fruitful exploits yet ended aft helium ballooned the shot precocious successful the aerial and landed successful Aizaz Khan's hands, forcing him to instrumentality connected 53(21).

Omarzai had done the irreparable harm arsenic Afghanistan garnered 78 runs from the past 5 overs to hammer 188/6 connected the board. Afghanistan's belligerent innings was fuelled by Hong Kong's shambolic show connected the field. They dropped 5 catches, the astir successful a squad innings successful the T20 Asia Cup.

Opener Sediqullah Atal, who returned unbeaten with 73(52), was dropped thrice, with the archetypal lawsuit occurring successful the opening implicit itself. The dropped chances and wayward bowling towards the extremity allowed Afghanistan to publication a comeback successful the contention and station a competitory total. (ANI)