The first semifinal has boosted the excitement of the T20 World Cup to another level. In the first semifinal, South Africa locked horns with Afghanistan at the Brian Lara Stadium. After having an exciting season, Afghanistan faced a horrific defeat in this match. As their batting lineup collapsed in the crucial time, the match went away from them. The aim to play the final match of this tournament left as a dream for the Afghans. After that heartbreaking defeat, Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan opened up.
On the Defeat:
Afghanistan had a great season in this edition of the T20 World Cup. Since the beginning, they played dominating cricket. In their last group stage match, they defeated Bangladesh dominantly and entered into the semifinal for the first time. But their performance on the big stage turned out to be a horrific one. They got all out in just 56 runs and faced a defeat by 9 wickets. With that, they made exit from the tournament.
After the devastating loss, Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan said, “It was tough, tough for us as a team. We might have done better but the conditions didn’t allow us to do what we wanted. That’s how T20 cricket is, you need to be ready for all conditions. I think they bowled really well. I think we got good success in this tournament because the seamers bowled really well, you need good starts.”
Challenges and Learnings Out of the Tournament:
In this edition of the T20 World Cup, Afghanistan showcased its quality performance. Throughout the tournament, they were amazing. Especially the Afghan bowlers like Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Naveen ul Haq, and others nailed the game. But Mujeeb ur Rahman’s injury was a blow for them. After facing a defeat in the semifinal, Rashid Khan talked about this.
He said, “I think we were unlucky with Mujeeb’s injury, but our seamers and even Nabi bowled brilliantly with the new ball. That made our job easier as spinners. We have enjoyed this tournament. We will accept playing a semi-final and losing to a top side like Africa.”
Further, he added, “ It is just the beginning for us, we have the confidence and belief to beat any side. We just need to keep our processes. This has been a great learning experience for us. What we take from the competition is the belief. We know we have the skills, it is just about managing tough situations, pressure situations.”
Calls for Some Improvements:
In this tournament, Afghanistan set the example of being the best but they still have some concerns that need to be looked after. Even though the bowling squad was amazing, a huge concern is lying in their middle order. In a few games, the Afghan middle order struggled. They made a few changes but they didn’t make any big impact. After facing the defeat, Rashid Khan highlights sone areas to be improved soon.
Rashid said, “Some work to be done, specially in the middle order to take the innings deep. As I said, it is always learning for our team and we have achieved good results so far but we will come back doing more hard work, specially in the batting department.”
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