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Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz was already more than a match for most bowlers back when he tried to scythe every single delivery through point for four. Recent evidence suggests he’s consulted his protractor and supplemented that angle with a couple more. Further explorations in geometry could get very messy indeed for his opponents.
Way, way back in the Scotch mists of time – barely discernible now that so many other world tournaments have been and gone to wash more ancient memories away – Rahmanullah Gurbaz made 80 off 57 balls against England to secure a supposedly memorable victory for his team at the 2023 World Cup.
On that occasion, England’s bowlers belatedly worked out that if you bowl outside off stump to Gurbaz with fewer than seven point fielders, he’ll unfailingly carve you for four. So they started bouncing him. And he responded by hooking them for six.
Clamping down on an apparent strength can backfire if the batter is so good that what appeared a strength is in fact no such thing. We’re starting to wonder whether having Rahmanullah Gurbaz carve you through point for four is actually the least bad option.
His first scoring shot against South Africa was a four through the covers. A short while later, he hit upon the idea of hitting a little straighter and considerably higher.
As he made his way to 84 off 42 balls, this became his most important shot, supplemented by the fallback option of hitting a six over third if the ball was shorter.
Just as he had against England, Gurbaz was peppering the off side boundary – but on this occasion with the very conspicuous exception of point.
Not only that, but cast your eye to the other half of the field and this is a very weird T20 wagon wheel with only one shot at even faint risk of clipping a cow grazing in its designated corner.
Afghanistan’s coach, Jonathan Trott, top-scored for England in the infamous 2009 defeat at Centurion when Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman went full bovine (Smith was eventually caught at long on, Bosman at deep midwicket) – maybe he’s inculcated in his charges a strong aversion to that quadrant.
Gurbaz wasn’t finished anyway. Rather unusually for a T20 game, he actually played three innings against South Africa.
After scoring a single off the only ball he faced in the first Super Over, our man walked out for the third and final time with Afghanistan needing the small matter of four sixes off four balls in the second Super Over.
Implausibly, he hit three in a row, before – even more incredibly – leaving the fourth delivery.
He didn’t leave it for no reason, of course, and it was duly called a wide. What would this madman do with the crucial extra delivery?
He sliced it straight to a fielder… at point.