Their three remaining fixtures ended in heartbreak, at the hands of Pakistan, India and finally New Zealand, in Abu Dhabi on Sunday afternoon.
Both Associates had no answer to the marauding Afghan batters even on slow tracks they were also clueless against the high-class spin emanating from the wrists and fingers of a versatile bowling attack with leggie Rashid the leader of the pack and the canny Mujeeb the most successful. They started the Super 12s spectacularly, sweeping Scotland and Namibia aside by following their preferred blueprint. This World Cup best illustrates Afghanistan’s travails in a tournament of this magnitude. That skew will start to balance itself out the more the play however, for them to redress their record against the ‘bigger’ teams, they need to add smarts and prudence to their uber-aggressive, hell-for-leather armoury without compromising their inherent swag and spunk. Unsurprisingly, they sport a better win percentage batting first (69.09, 38 wins in 54 games) than when chasing (62.86, 22 wins in 35).
Their template is simple, straightforward and unmysterious, unlike many of their bowlers, notably Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rehman – bat first, tee off from ball one, keep going at fourth gear, post a reasonable total and let their spinners work their magic. But while they enjoy that license, they need to make subtle but meaningful changes to their T20 game, post-haste. Alongside Ireland, they are the latest entrants to Test cricket and will take time to find their feet in a format that challenges, tests and humbles the most experienced sides. They are free spirits, ambassadors of the sport, the epitome of how T20 cricket markets itself.Īs endearing as these traits are, Afghanistan won’t be unaware that they need to start doing more if they aspire for better, more consistent and meaningful results. Make no mistake, they are as competitive as anyone else, but they don’t allow victories and losses on the cricket field to define them. They don’t necessarily play to win they go out to express and enjoy themselves, have fun. There is an old-world, almost amateurish slant to their approach. There’s no doubting the fondness and affection Afghanistan court from countless followers worldwide – not just their own supporters but men and women and boys and girls who enjoy the sport, who seek entertainment and who are entranced by their style of play. Despite showing a lot of promise, Afghanistan have consistently fallen short against Test-playing nations.
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