Guyana [West Indies], June 4 (ANI): Afghanistan pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi vowed to try to get a hat-trick after missing it out on two occasions against Uganda in the Group C match of the ongoing T20 World Cup.
While defending their total of 183/5, Farooqi struck with back-to-back wickets in the opening over. He castled Ronak Patel (4) with an inswinger on the second delivery and left Roger Mukasa bamboozled with an inswinger.
The second instance of an elusive hat-trick occurred in the 13th over. But Bilal Hassan effectively negated the delivery to avoid a possible feat for the Afghan quick.
"I have missed it (getting the hat-trick) a few times (smiles). Something that is not under my control and if I get a chance again, I will try to get that hat-trick," Farooqi said in the post-match presentation.
Farooqi was effective with the ball throughout the powerplay as well as in the middle phase for Afghanistan. He enjoyed the delicacy of swing and caused all sorts of trouble to Uganda's batting line-up.
The 23-year-old opened up about his approach of mixing the slower deliveries and keeping things simple which helped him put pressure on the opposition batters.
"I tried to bowl a few balls and then see what was happening. I tried to make the most of the swing early on. Later, I tried to bowl the slower balls and mix it up. Kept it simple and wanted to hit the wickets. Playing franchise cricket helps you improve and helps on the big stage as well. Playing with so many big players, it helps in dealing with pressure and in bowling in the right areas," he added.
outFarooqi's spell helped bundle Uganda on a score of 58 in 16 overs and lifted Afghanistan to a 125-run win. With a win, Afghanistan are at the top of Group C with two points and a net run rate of 6.250.
Afghanistan will look to keep the winning momentum in their favour in their next game against New Zealand at the Providence Stadium, Guyana. (ANI)
