Afghanistan have always been heavily reliant on their spinners. But come the World Cup, they will have two young batting aces up their sleeves, raising hopes for a better outing than their previous ones in the tournament, writes Jo Harman. This article first appeared in issue 71 of Wisden Cricket Monthly, a World Cup special.
As they enter their third 50-over World Cup, Afghanistan’s record in the tournament doesn’t make for pretty reading. They suffered nine consecutive defeats in 2019 and have just one victory to show from 15 World Cup fixtures, a one-wicket win over Scotland at Dunedin eight years ago.
However, there are reasons for optimism when traveling to India. First, the conditions will affect their spin arsenal of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and experienced all-rounder Mohammad Nabi supported by 18-year-old left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad. should give. But perhaps more importantly, they discovered his two high-profile opening batsmen who quickly set impressive records.
Since Afghanistan entered the world stage over a decade ago, its attempts to consistently compete with major powers have been hampered by a lack of offensive resources. The mercurialMohammad Shahzad had his moments of brilliance and Rahmat Shah was also ever present, but too often the bowlers’ efforts were undone by a lack of runs. In the World Cup, he only exceeded 250 points once, and seven of his 15 games fell short of his 200 points.
The rise of 21-year-old right-handed pair Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran should continue as they have made a strong impact with the new ball. . It’s a long road to fixing it.
Gurbaz, who also plays wicket in the tournament, is the more established player of the two. He got off to an explosive start in the style of his predecessor Shahzad, signing with Kolkata Knight Riders for this year’s IPL and scoring 39 off balls against a Gujarat Titans attack that featured national team-mates Rashid and Noor. He smashed 81 pitches. Rashid was particularly hard hit, with him conceding two sixes and three fours on the way to 0 wins and 54 losses against Gulbaz, his best IPL for the leg-spinner. It was his second lossiest match in his career.
He has already scored five centuries in 26 ODIs, the last of which came in August when he shared 227 in the open stand with Zadran, a stunning blow against Pakistan’s opening attack. I scored a total of 151 points.
“He sometimes overdoes it and thinks every game is a T20,” Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott said. That view was reinforced by the fact that 11 of his 26 ODI knocks didn’t reach double figures, but the former England No. 3 said: I know he has a special talent. “He can score from anywhere on the floor,” Trott added. “The longer Gurbaz’s at-bat is, the more likely he is to win.”
Zadran, who scored 87 on his Test debut against Bangladesh at the age of 17, is more traditional in his strokeplay but still tries to attack in the powerplay (ODI strike rate of 84 ) is just one tick below Gurbaz). Former Afghanistan national team head coach Andy Moles described him as “technically very correct and mentally very strong”. He hit three tons in his first eight ODIs, including a domestic record 162 against Sri Lanka at Palekele, followed by an opening stand of 256 with Gurbaz (Afghanistan’s highest wicket partnership). They shared an impressive victory in Bangladesh in July. series.
Gurbaz and Zadran are still in the early stages of their careers, having already recorded five of the eight highest ODI scores ever achieved by an Afghan batsman, and both becoming their country’s first World Cup centurions. I aim to become
Afghanistan, who have already beaten Sri Lanka and Bangladesh this year and come close to winning their maiden ODI against Pakistan, will gain momentum in their World Cup opener against the Tigers on October 7.
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Their lack of batting depth means a semi-final spot will probably be out of reach, but their record-breaking opening pair will make them a much tougher opponent, barring a few nosebleeds in India. That’s amazing in past tournaments.
This article first appeared in issue 71 of Wisden Cricket Monthly, dedicated to the World Cup.
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