How Fazalhaq Farooqi became Afghanistan's pace spearhead
Afghanistan left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi has undeniably been the bowler of the 2024 T20 World Cup thus far, picking up wickets for fun in their opening two games. The 23-year-old started his campaign with incredible figures of 5/9 in four overs against Uganda.
Farooqi was on a hattrick twice during his spell and settled with the fourth-best figures in T20 World Cup history. However, his Wasim Akram-esque streak did not stop just yet.
Farooqi stunned the highly-rated New Zealand batters in Afghanistan's second outing with his sensational new-ball burst. After the powerplay, his figures read 3/17 in 3 overs and the Afghans' surge was well and truly on.
The youngster eventually finished with figures of 4/17 in 3.2 overs, leading Afghanistan to a second consecutive victory. Furthermore, Farooqi became the first bowler to take consecutive four-plus wicket hauls in T20 World Cup history.
While all chatter around Afghanistan has revolved around their world-class spinners like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Mujeeb U Rahman, among others, Farooqi has quietly gone under the radar and established himself as the side's spearhead in the pace department.
Finally, as he has started receiving the shine in the ongoing T20 World Cup for his incisive bowling, it is only fair we look at his cricketing journey that has led to his becoming Afghanistan's go-to pacer.
Fazalhaq Farooqi's unheralded journey from support role to lead actor
Fazalhaq Farooqi did not boast the most impressive numbers in domestic cricket barring the shortest format when he debuted for Afghanistan in the T20I format at just 20 in 2021.
Yet, he played only the lone game that year before his next outing the following year. Farooqi's first noteworthy performance came in his third T20I game with figures of 3/18 against Bangladesh.
He enjoyed a tremendous 2022 season in T20I with 20 wickets in 16 games at an average of 20.20 and an economy of 6.77. Farooqi also debuted for Afghanistan in ODIs in 2022.
The left-arm pacer enjoyed immediate success with two four-wicket hauls against Bangladesh and Pakistan in his first eight ODI games. With 17 wickets in 10 ODIs in 2022 at an average of under 24, Farooqi proved he was here to stay for the long haul.
Amidst his exploits in international cricket, the talented pacer also had a much-cherished IPL contract for the 2022 season from the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).
In the following 2023 season, Farooqi continued being a high-risk-high-reward bowler who oscillated between expensive spells to ones with a bag of wickets. He finished with 21 scalps in 17 ODIs at a middling average of 33.57 and an economy of almost 6.
The T20I numbers were much better for Farooqi in 2023, with 9 wickets in as many games at an average of 22.55 and an economy of only 5.80. Despite the admirable numbers, Farooqi faltered in the biggest stage, the 2023 ODI World Cup, with only 6 wickets in as many games at an average of 38.
With Afghanistan so close to qualifying for the semi-final, several experts and fans felt the pacers not supporting their world-class spinners was what prevented them from taking the next gigantic step. And Farooqi has taken it upon himself to do just that in T20Is this year.
While the skillful cricketer has picked up only 6 wickets in 5 ODI games at a dismal average of over 43 and an economy of 6.66, Farooqi's T20I numbers make for sensational reading.
He has bagged 16 wickets at an average of 14.18 and an economy of under 7 in 10 T20Is in 2024. Farooqi is also in the top ten of the ICC Men's T20I rankings for bowlers.
His overall T20I numbers of 46 wickets in 36 outings at an average of 18.93 and an economy of 6.56 are nothing short of extraordinary. At 23, Farooqi has finally taken over the mantle of Afghanistan's pace spearhead, providing the crucial early breakthroughs for the spinners to wreak havoc on the opposition.
What's left now is for Farooqi to continue this scintillating form with greater consistency, while his skillset constantly evolving by the game. It will also be worth watching if the left-arm pacer can eventually take his impeccable new-ball skills to the red-ball arena and make Afghanistan a force to reckon with in the longest format.
For now, Farooqi's skillful opening spells in the ongoing T20 World Cup has many upgrading Afghanistan from spoilers to potential title contenders.