Azmatullah Omarzai (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images) NEW DELHI: Former world No. 1 all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai etched his name in the record books by registering Afghanistan’s fastest T20I fifty during their Asia Cup opener at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Tuesday.Put in to bat as favourites, Afghanistan found themselves in trouble at 110/4 with five overs left, as Hong Kong’s bowlers applied pressure. But Omarzai’s arrival at the crease turned the tide. Showcasing his clean hitting, he stunned Hong Kong with a flurry of boundaries and towering shots. His maiden T20I half-century came off just 20 balls, eclipsing Mohammad Nabi’s previous record of 21 deliveries set against Ireland in 2017.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!In the 19th over, Omarzai dominated Ayush Shukla’s bowling. He hit a six over the sightscreen, followed by a shot over deep extra cover. He then sent the third delivery to the mid-wicket boundary.He cleverly guided a full toss to third man for his fifty on the fourth ball. His innings ended at 53 runs from 21 balls when he hit the ball high, caught by Aizaz Khan.Omarzai’s impact helped Afghanistan score 78 runs in the final five overs, reaching a total of 188/6. Hong Kong’s fielding performance was poor, with five dropped catches, setting a record for most drops in a T20 Asia Cup innings.Opener Sediqullah Atal remained not out with 73 runs from 52 balls, surviving three dropped catches, including one in the first over. The fielding errors and inconsistent bowling in the final overs allowed Afghanistan to build a competitive score.
