Photo via Wisden

4-8 and two double-wicket maidens: Afghanistan debutant spins his way to national record with stunning spell in Asian Games opener

During the Asian Games opening fixture, twenty-one-year-old debutant Arab Gul put on a phenomenal display with the ball to secure a comfortable forty-eight-run victory for Afghanistan against Japan. Defending a modest total of 129-6, in which Mohammad Akram top-scored with thirty-four runs, Gul dismantled the opposition batting lineup by conceding just eight runs and capturing four wickets across four remarkable overs that included nineteen dot balls and a pair of maidens.

This stellar performance surpassed Noor Ahmed's previous national benchmark of 4-10 set against Zimbabwe in Harare two years prior. Japan ultimately crumbled for eighty-one runs as Nangeyalia Kharote joined forces with Gul to decimate the chase, leaving the victors poised for an upcoming quarter-final berth following their successful group stage debut.