SURIYAWEWA, SRI LANKA: Afghanistan hopes to overcome Sri Lanka and make a serious showing in the Cricket World Cup, according to their skipper, ahead of the final game of the three-match ODI series.
Hashmatullah Shahidi told reporters on the eve of the last one-day international at Hambantota, with the series tied 1-1, that coming to Sri Lanka and beating them in their own backyard would mean a lot to them.
Afghanistan qualified for the sport’s showpiece later this year in India, ahead of more fancied sides like Sri Lanka and the West Indies, both of which are former world champions.
Hashmatullah said the weather in World Cup host India will “suit our spin bowlers.” Afghans dominate the ICC ODI bowling rankings, with three spinners featured (Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi), more than any other country. According to Shahidi, their ratings are improving day by day and match by match. He said they believe they can do something remarkable in this World Cup. The Afghan attack also has chinaman bowler in Noor Ahmad, who doesn’t feature in the top 10.
Afghanistan cricket
Shahidi added that before the World Cup, there is the Asia Cup, and they are confident of doing well in it as well. The Afghans are in high demand in the IPL, where many of their players get lots of experience. Afghanistan’s bowling is not their only strength; they also have powerful hitters and technically adept batters in their lineup. Ibrahim Zadran, the opening batsman, has made a remarkable start to his international career, scoring three hundred and two half-centuries in just ten One-Day Internationals. Shahidi said he is one of the brightest talents in the game and that he has always believed that he has what it takes to make it big at the international level. Afghanistan is hoping that leg-spinner Khan will be able to play on Tuesday after missing the first two ODIs due to a back problem. Shahidi said that he is definitely their standout performer. They didn’t want to take any risks with him because we have the Asia Cup and the World Cup coming up. He said that we would evaluate his situation during training and decide whether he is ready to play in the final game.
