• Sportzyverse
• T20 World Cup 2024
• 06/08/2024
• 0 Comments

Afghanistan’s captain Rashid Khan highlighted the importance of his teammates focusing on their skills and effort rather than worrying about their opponents’ strengths, which paid off during their remarkable 84-run victory over New Zealand in a T20 World Cup group stage match.

Afghanistan successfully defended their total of 159 by bowling out New Zealand for just 75 runs, with left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi and Rashid Khan each taking four wickets.

Focus on Skills and Effort

Rashid emphasized that his message to the team was to concentrate on their own skills. “We need to beat the teams with our own skills rather than think about the opposition much, and that’s the only thing I have been telling the guys,” Rashid stated during the post-match presentation ceremony.

He further explained his philosophy: “It doesn’t matter who we play against; it’s more about how good you are, how well you’re going to play, and what type of energy you bring into the ground. That, for me, is very important. I don’t care much about the result; I care more about the effort we put into batting, bowling, and fielding.”

Rashid lauded his team’s collective effort, noting that he is satisfied with their performance as long as the players give their all. “It’s fine as long as you give one hundred per cent and are happy with your efforts at the end of the day,” he said.

Previous Triumphs and Current Victory

Afghanistan has a history of stunning victories. It defeated powerhouse teams like England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in last year’s ODI World Cup and secured a memorable win against West Indies in the 2016 T20 World Cup. Rashid described the victory against New Zealand as one of their best performances in a T20 World Cup.

Key Performances

Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s explosive innings of 80 runs from 56 deliveries and Ibrahim Zadran’s solid 44 from 41 balls gave Afghanistan a strong start. Farooqi’s stellar bowling performance of 4/17 from 3.2 overs matched Rashid’s impressive figures.

Rashid expressed immense gratitude towards the Afghan fans, who show unwavering support regardless of the time differences. “They don’t miss our games. We play at 3 AM, 4 AM, or 1 AM; they’re always up. Not only in Afghanistan but all around the world, wherever they are, they watch the game. They don’t miss it. That’s the kind of beauty we have back home in Afghanistan. The people give us the kind of support and love that motivates us inside the ground.”

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Rashid concluded by highlighting the significance of cricket for Afghanistan, noting that it is a major source of joy for the nation. “Cricket is the biggest source of happiness back home. And I’m very sure this will give them so much to enjoy and celebrate this victory.”