Mohammad Nabi-led Afghanistan are on a dream run, having secured a spot in the super 4 round of the Asia Cup 2022 following consecutive victories against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Ranked 10th in the world, Afghanistan have played good cricket against the mighty nations. They were low on confidence, having lost the T20I series to Ireland. Although going by the two matches in the Asia Cup 2022, they have emerged as a force to reckon with. Experts and viewers have hailed Afghanistan’s new fearless brand of cricket and believe they stand a chance to lift their maiden Asia Cup title.
1. Best spin unit in the tournament
Without a doubt, one thing that the other nations would look to steal from the Afghani squad would be their spin attack. Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman are Afghanistan’s most valuable assets and the world’s two best spinners. They are the only spin duo to be in the top 10 of the ICC rankings. Mujeeb has already picked up five wickets. He took two against Lanka and three against Bangladesh. On the other hand, Rashid went wicketless in the first match but took three wickets against Bangladesh.
2. Exposure to global T20 leagues
T20 franchise cricket is on the rise, and the beneficiaries of emerging leagues are players from lower-ranked teams. One of the primary reasons behind Afghanistan’s display against the big guns is the exposure their players are getting by playing in T20 leagues across the globe. Former Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan’s brother Karim Janat plays in the Bangladesh T20 league and won the 2022 edition with Comilla Victorians. Star player Rashid Khan needs no introduction and plays in almost every domestic league around the globe, including IPL. Another Afghani present in the Gujarat squad is Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who wisely uses his experience. He also plays in the Lankan premier league. Star pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi was with Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2022. His pace partner Naveen – ul – Haq plays in the Lankan Premier League. Mujeeb Ur Rahman lends his services to Brisbane Heat in the BBL. Talking about BBL, skipper Nabi plays for Melbourne Renegades.
3. In form Najibullah Zadran
The 29-year-old Najibullah Zadran hogged headlines after his heroics against Bangladesh. Afghanistan were in a stiff situation as they required 67 off the last seven overs. Zadran scored a quickfire 43 off 17 balls, including six sixes, to seal the deal for Afghanistan. He became the first player to score 50 sixes in death overs. Also, he has hit the most sixes in death overs while chasing (18).
4. Explosive Top order
In the previous editions, Afghanistan’s batting prowess had let them down. However, the batters have donned a new fearless brand of cricket this time. The opening pair of Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz stitched an 83-run stand against Sri Lanka. While they failed to replicate the same against Bangladesh, Ibrahim Zadran, who fell short in the first game, rose to the occasion and scored an unbeaten 42 against Bangladesh. Johnathon Trott, the new head coach of Afghanistan, has ensured that the top-order batters score most of the runs and don’t leave the middle order with a challenging task.