With only a handful of games to go, and all of them in Group C, Afghanistan has emerged as one of the dark horses of the ICC World T20 2024. Things are starting to look interesting for what awaits us in the Super 8 stage of the competition. With 2 big teams in the form of New Zealand and Pakistan eliminated.
Weaker but by no means powerless teams like Sri Lanka, which at one point were ranked higher than Afghanistan also eliminated, with stronger teams like South Africa and West Indies having not played the most convincing cricket. Which presents an opportunity for the rising starts from Central – South Asia. Tomorrow’s game against West Indies now becoming a key game for the team to send out a strong message for the rest of the tournament.
Afghanistan – A Team with Match Winners
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Cricket is a game of margins. Often it comes down to a handful of good or bad decisions made during clinical moments of the game. This is especially so in the shortest format of the game. Where the time between mistake and recovery is extremely short. When it comes to Afghanistan, the team has built up a strong contingent of players who are suited to exploit key points of the game.
With a dynamic and increasingly solid opening pair Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, have been putting up good starts. This was followed by a strong middle order where the attacking spinner and captain Rashid Khan pushed himself up higher in the order. A sign of growing confidence in his abilities. Rashid Khan is the key in any game Afghanistan plays, and his growing confidence with the bat adds that solidity to the batting.
No Fear Cricket
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One of the things that sets Afghanistan apart from other teams, let’s lesser teams, in contrast to the heavy hitters like Australia and India, is the element of unpredictability. No team, no matter how strong or in form, can expect to roll over this Afganis. The World Cup 2023 campaign was a solid indication of this potential. In many ways if not for the heroics of Glen Maxwell, that game and possibly even the World Cup could have had a different outcome.
Now in this edition of the ICC World T20, Afghanistan has again proven itself, effectively knocking out New Zealand and with convincing victories against all other opposition. There is something about the makeup of the team and how it has managed to gel as a unit, with attacking pacers supported by some of the best spinners in the game. Afghanistan is a team to watch.
All Eyes on the Super 8
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Now the teams that will meet in the next stage of the tournament are pretty much settled, the question is how will the qualified teams perform. Questions remain on the quality of the pitches and playing conditions. As the tournament hasn’t produced many big scoring games. Whatever happens, the teams that have made it will have to bring in their A-game. And for Afghanistan, this might be the chance to go that extra yard and make themselves known on the world stage.
