Outrageous, senseless, preposterous! Something related, if not totally different, would have been the response had anybody given Afghanistan an opportunity to win Asia Cup 2022. It’s nonetheless not a actuality, because the Afghans are but to be counted among the many huge boys of cricket.
However, there’s all the time a primary time for every part. India received the 1983 World Cup at a stage when even the optimists would not have predicted one thing miraculous. Debutants Bangladesh beat eventual finalists Pakistan within the 1999 World Cup.
Afghanistan, themselves, did it after they beat 2016 World T20 champions West Indies in one of many video games in the course of the match. They have now given themselves an enormous likelihood to spring a shock and win the Asia Cup.
A HUGE STATEMENT
Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan celebrates. Courtesy: AP
Afghanistan, in reality, have made a powerful assertion that they aren’t right here to make up the quantity, neither are they right here to win hearts. Nabi’s males are right here to take house the trophy for the maiden time within the historical past of the championship.
Back in 2018, Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka by 91 runs and tantalisingly missed out on beating Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Their future was palpable from there itself.
In 2022, fairly a number of of their stars; Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Naveen-ul-Haq and lots of others are already well-liked names in franchise T20 leagues.
Naveen completed because the second-highest wicket-taker within the T20 Blast 2022 and Rashid Khan is the second-highest wicket taker in T20s after Dwayne Bravo, a few examples of citing Afghan cricketers’ dominance in T20s.
DOMINANCE IN DUBAI
Hazratullah Zazai of Afghanistan performs a shot. Courtesy: AP
On Saturday, Sri Lanka, one of the profitable groups within the historical past of the Asia Cup, tamely surrendered to Nabi and Co.
Afghanistan received the match, alright, however the method wherein they triumphed is price a billion phrases. Maybe it is to scream that they don’t seem to be mere pushovers, nor are they dark-horses or underdogs.
Such was the enormity of the victory that even a loss of their subsequent sport may take them by to the Super Four. A internet run charge of +5.176 is nice sufficient to display how good the Afghans had been in Dubai in opposition to the Sri Lankans.
SRI LANKA MANHANDLED
Afghanistan quick bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi in motion. Courtesy: AP
After Fazalhaq Farooqi trapped Kusal Mendis plumb in entrance, not even for a single time did it appear that Sri Lanka had been clawing again into the match. In truth, when Rashid, who was alleged to be their trump card, got here to bowl, Dasun Shanaka’s males had been already 4 wickets down in eight overs.
It was solely due to Chamika Karunaratne’s 31-run cameo that the Sri Lankans crawled previous the 100-run mark to ultimately get bowled out for 105.
If the Afghan bowlers weren’t sufficient to terrorise their Asian counterparts, it was their batters, particularly the openers, who unleashed hell.
Gurbaz survived a scare early on after an on-field LBW resolution was overturned. From there on, he made the sport a very one-sided affair with an 18-ball 40. Hazratullah Zazai took his time to get going earlier than teeing off.
DANGER FOR OTHERS?
Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz of Afghanistan in motion. Courtesy: AP
If Afghanistan handle to go to the following spherical, which appears extremely doubtless for now, it should not increase eyebrows in the event that they make the massive weapons sweat for each run and each wicket.
Mind you, Noor Ahmad, who has been part of Quetta Gladiators, Melbourne Renegades, Karachi Kings and Gujarat Lions, did not get to play within the Asia Cup curtain raiser.
The indisputable fact that he wasn’t included within the enjoying XI regardless of selecting up a four-wicket haul on his T20I debut exhibits the depth in Afghanistan’s bowling lineup.
AFGHANISTAN AREN’T PUSHOVERS
Naveen-ul-Haq of Afghanistan appeals. Courtesy: AP
Afghanistan’s batting wasn’t fairly examined within the opening match as they weren’t chasing an enormous goal by any means.
But in the event that they should chase down a stiff goal, they’ve the batting depth to maintain themselves within the sport.
For now, Afghanistan should have already got despatched shives down the backbone of fairly a number of of the collaborating groups within the Asia Cup.
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