Afghanistan national cricket team’s skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi would be tested against the likes of Sri Lanka & Bangladesh in Group B. The top 2 teams will advance to the Super 4 stage as the possibility of Afghanistan qualifying apart from Sri Lanka & Bangladesh can’t be ruled out. Hashmatullah Shahidi would back themselves to perform better despite losing the ODI series against Pakistan by 3-0 as there was a fight by Afghanistan’s cricket team.
Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Rashid Khan, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Abdul Rahman, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Suliman Safi, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Strengths
Without any doubt, Afghanistan’s strength is its spin. The side already has the luxury of Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, and the star spinner Rashid Khan. Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi will have to be smart in utilizing those 30 overs. Mujeeb has done quite a good job with the new ball in hand and the inclusion of the left-arm chinaman Noor Ahmad can be the lighting spark for the side.
Weaknesses
Afghanistan doesn’t have a strong pace attack as all the hard work of the spinners goes in vain. Head coach Jonathan Trott will have to find a way and perhaps use fast bowlers like Fazalhaq Farooqui & Gulbadin Naib in multiple and short spells in the middle over phase. Afghanistan would be thinking of promoting Nabi rather than using him as a finisher.
X factor
The destructive left-handed batter Najibullah Zadran has got all the skillset, especially against the spinners to whack them around the park. Najibullah Zadran along with Rahmat Shah will have to do the bulk of scoring as the lower order doesn’t have that firepower. Over the past couple of years, Afghanistan have shown that they can put gigantic totals on the board which makes them a ruthless side.
Chances
Afghanistan looks all set to trounce one of Sri Lanka or Bangladesh in the Asia Cup 2023. Afghanistan’s first encounter is against Bangladesh on 3rd September at Lahore which promises to be a cracker of contest. Afghanistan’s only concern would be that a couple of fronts upfront can put them in a spot of bother. Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi needs to play a bit more sensibly and lay the foundation for the rest of the batters.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2023: Spirited Dasun Shanaka Face A Tough Challenge