The T20 World Cup group stage concluded with a thrilling match between West Indies and Afghanistan, marking their final encounter. Afghanistan, having performed admirably throughout the stage, suffered a significant 104-run defeat, a setback for their campaign. Reflecting on the game, Rashid Khan commented on the outcome, acknowledging the team’s disappointment.
Afghanistan’s Effort and Rashid’s Words:
In the 40th match of the T20 World Cup 2024, West Indies and Afghanistan locked horns at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium. The spectators enjoyed a thrilling game. In the whole tournament, Afghanistan showcased its excellence. In the first innings, the Afghanistan bowlers tried well to stop the Caribbean batters. Gulbadin Naib secured 2 wickets in 14 runs. Naveen ul Haq and Azmatullah Omarzai secured 1 wicket each.
While talking about this, Rashid said, “They were incredible with the way they started in the powerplay but we pulled it back in the middle overs and it was a good effort to restrict them to under 220. It is good that happened in this game and take away the learnings into the next round.”
On the Challenges on the Field:
While chasing the target of 219 runs, the Afghan batters struggled. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed on a duck. Ibrahim Zadran scored 38 runs. Azmatullah Omarzai scored 23 runs in 19 balls. Karim Jannat and skipper Rashid Khan added 14 and 18 runs. They got all out in 114 runs and faced a defeat of 104 runs.
While reflecting on the challenges, Rashid said, “There was a strong breeze blowing and bowling into the wicket was the way to go. As a bowler, you need to come up with plans to keep the scoring to below under 10.”
Further, he added, “ The morale is still pretty high and this loss does not affect us. We have achieved our first goal of reaching the Super 8s and now it is about taking the next step.”
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