Fazalhaq Farooqi spent all of IPL 2024 on the bench at Sunrisers Hyderabad, waiting for an opportunity that never came in a settled unit that reached the final.
However, he used that time on the sidelines to hone his craft for his next assignment.
If there were concerns of rust, the 23-year-old has dispelled them emphatically through the first three games of the T20 World Cup.
Afghanistan’s progression out of a tricky Group C, at the expense of New Zealand, is largely due to the performances of their pace ace, who leads the charts with 12 wickets from three matches at an average of 3.50 and an economy of 3.70.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t get any chance to play in the IPL, but I was working on my skill, to improve my skill to do better for Afghanistan.
I just try to give my hundred percent and just back my skill,” Farooqi said after returning figures of 3 for 16 in a win over PNG that secured Afghanistan’s passage into the Super 8s.
Seven of Farooqi’s 12 wickets have come in the Power Play, more than any other bowler in the competition so far.
While two of them came off successive deliveries against PNG, arguably his most crucial contribution came in the New Zealand match, where he bowled Finn Allen with a deadly inswinger off the first ball of the chase and followed it up with the scalps of Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell inside the first six overs.
“My mentality is simple.
Whenever I was playing in Under-19 or Under-16, I thought, I’m not a big man, I’m not someone big and tall and bowling very fast.
At that time, I was just thinking to improve my skill to do something different from the others… I was going to learn to bowl swing and that now for me is simple,” he said.
At this World Cup, Farooqi has worked closely with Dwayne Bravo, Afghanistan’s bowling consultant and one of the greats of T20 bowling.
The pair has also played together in the ILT20 league (for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders) and the Abu Dhabi T10 league (for Delhi Bulls), allowing for substantial passing of wisdom from the veteran to the youngster.
Farooqi noted that while Bravo’s expertise lies in death overs, the West Indian has appreciated his plans and shared tips for handling other pressure moments in a T20 innings.
“He’s an old-ball bowler, for the death.
But whatever I’m doing with the new ball, that’s my skill.
He just supports me.
He says, ‘you’re doing good’ and that’s the main thing, if you’ve got some support from the senior players.
He’s giving me [tips], especially in the death, how should I bowl in the pressure time, how should I use the slower ball, how should I use the length ball,” Farooqi said.
Meanwhile, captain Rashid Khan praised Farooqi for adding a different dimension to Afghanistan, traditionally feared only for their spin strengths.
“Someone like Fazal, who is coming in and attacking each and every ball, allows us to have a strong base as a bowling unit.
And then it does help you in the middle overs as well if you get a couple of wickets… We are lucky to have him on the side [because he] gives us the best start with the new ball and then makes the job a little bit easier in the middle,” Rashid said.
Sterner tests await Farooqi and Afghanistan, who will play the co-hosts West Indies in their final group game before moving into the Super 8s, where they will face teams like Australia and India.
Farooqi believes the experience of last year’s ODI World Cup, where Afghanistan took down several top sides and came very close to qualifying for the semifinal, has battle-hardened them for the magnitude of the task ahead.
“Before, we were a little bit pressurised,” he said.
“We just thought we can’t win the match against the full member teams or the biggest national teams.
But when we won the matches in the 2023 ODI World Cup, we now have found some confidence.
Now everyone has belief in our skills.
This is the first time we just qualify for the Super 8 and we are so happy.
Back home, everyone is happy and proud of us.”
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