Rahmanullah Gurbaz delivered a blistering performance in Afghanistan‘s ICC T20 World Cup 2024 match against Uganda. Opening the innings for the Rashid Khan-led side at the Providence Stadium in Guyana, Gurbaz scored a rapid 76 runs off just 45 balls. His innings included four fours and four sixes, and put on a 154-run partnership for the first wicket with Ibrahim Zadran (70 off 46). Their efforts helped Afghanistan post a formidable total of 183/5 in their 20 overs.

Gurbaz, who won the IPL 2024 title with the Kolkata Knight Riders last month, shined with the bat after Afghanistan were invited to bat first by Uganda skipper Brian Masaba. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 76 runs and set a new record for the most runs scored by an Afghan player in a single T20 World Cup game. The previous record of 73 runs was held by Najibullah Zadran, who achieved the feat against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi on November 7, 2021.

Most runs scored in a T20 World Cup match by Afghan batter

POSITION PLAYER RUNS BALLS 4/6s STRIKE RATE OPPOSITION VENUE DATE (IST)
1. Rahmanullah Gurbaz 76 45 4/4 168.88 Uganda Guyana June 4, 2024
2. Najibullah Zadran 73 48 6/3 152.08 New Zealand Abu Dhabi November 7, 2021
3. Ibrahim Zadran 70 46 9/1 152.17 Uganda Guyana June 4, 2024
4. Mohammad Shahzad 68 53 6/3 128.30 Hong Kong Chattogram March 18, 2014
5. Asghar Afghan 62 47 3/4 131.91 Sri Lanka Kolkata March 17, 2016

Gurbaz’s 76-run knock on Tuesday morning (IST) allowed him to surpass former Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan’s tally of 1,382 runs in T20Is. Gurbaz has now amassed 1,452 runs in 56 T20I matches for Afghanistan, making him the fourth-highest run scorer for his country in T20I’s.

In the match against Uganda, Gurbaz and Zadran’s 154-run opening partnership made them the first Afghan duo and only the sixth overall to post a 150-run stand in any wicket. England batters Jos Buttler and Alex Hales hold the highest ever partnership in T20 World Cup history as they smashed 170 runs for the first-wicket against India on November 10, 2022 in Adelaide.