Since its first World Cup debut in 2010, Afghanistan has been a steadily stronger power. In February of that year, they played in their first-ever T20I match against Ireland. A few months later, they were thrown into a World Cup group with powerhouses South Africa and India.
They didn’t experience victory for the first time until their third event when they beat Hong Kong’s 153 in just 18 overs, but it wasn’t enough to advance them to the elimination round.
Afghanistan in 2016
That status was attained in 2016 after three consecutive group stage victories sent them to the Super 10, where they defeated eventual winners West Indies by a thrilling six runs in their first-ever international match. Afghanistan’s performance in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is getting better, but they haven’t yet broken through the barrier and advanced to the semifinals.
The ubiquitous Nabi and Rashid Khan, already well-known in T20 cricket, concluded with identical figures of two for 26, leaving Daren Sammy and company in disbelief. Because of their outstanding performance in the previous tournament, they received automatic qualification for the knockout phase last year for the first time in their history.
After securing comfortable victories over Scotland and Namibia, the goal now must be to recapture the magic of 2016 and defeat one of cricket’s established powers.
A test for Afghanistan
Mohammad Nabi, a 37-year-old captain, has experience competing in big T20 competitions all around the world, so his leadership might be crucial.
Afghanistan has experience playing on the Super 12 level and will try to catch up to the greatest players in the world. They will be hoping to take down a significant opponent in 2022 after defeating the two bottom-ranked teams in their group in the last World Cup.
They must defeat one of Australia, England, or New Zealand if they are to finish in the top three spots in the Super 12, despite the fact that they have never before defeated a team ranked among the top six in the world.
Given that Australia is the tournament’s host this year and that their bowling assault is more suited to spinning surfaces and home conditions, this may be the hardest challenge for Jonathan Trott’s team to overcome.
Due to their seventh-place performance in the 2021 World Cup, which was their highest result to date in the competition, the team led by the former England player earned an automatic position in the Super 12.
Players to watch out for
At the World Cup in the UAE and Oman last year, skipper Nabi and vice-captain Najibullah Zadran undoubtedly set an excellent example. Zadran led all scorers for his nation with 172 points throughout the course of the competition and a maximum score of 73, while Nabi’s average of 63.50 was far higher than that of his closest teammate.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz made a lot of promises prior to the last World Cup, but the 20-year-old found it difficult to leave a lasting impact. Since then, he has scored two hundred in ODIs, once against Bangladesh and once against the Netherlands. He will be hoping that this tournament will be the one when he realizes his full potential.
Afghanistan, which so frequently depends on the top combination of Nabi, Rashid Khan, and Mujeeb ur Rahman to spin them to success, may not be the ideal fit for the circumstances in Australia.
Because Karim Janat and Gulbadin Naib were left out of the 15-man squad, the acquisition of right-arm fast Saleem Safi seems wise. He will be expected to help Naveen-ul-Haq, who is the only pure quick to keep his spot from the last World Cup.
