Follow UsAfghanistan skipper Rashid Khan believes there are no ‘skill issues’ with his side, but admitted that his team’s young core will need to start reacting better when they’re under the pump, particularly with the ball in hand.
In the Super 8s clash against India in Barbados, Afghanistan made a solid start with the ball — India were 62/3 in 8.3 overs, with both Kohli and Rohit dismissed — but faltered once the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya started putting them under pressure. It was a story not too dissimilar from what happened in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where, against the likes of Australia and New Zealand, the team lost the plot with the ball after making a sublime start.
Rashid believes his side will grow and learn with experience, but asserted that, going forward, they’ll need to have a positive mindset when they’re trying to execute under pressure.
“Well, I think there are few players for whom it’s very early for them in the international cricket and they will learn from it. And World Cup is always the biggest stage when you're playing against the biggest team as well. But the more important thing is when you are under pressure how you make yourself very calm and that all comes from a clear mind,” Rashid said ahead of the Australia clash.
“And sometimes you do think like, if it does not go in your favour, the opposing batter might hit the boundary, and that's where you get hit. I think the more positive mindset we keep against the bigger side and the more we keep ourselves very calm and cool, that's where you start performing and delivering the best for the team.”
Rashid also insisted that, against bigger sides, it’s key to not try and overcomplicate things. The Afghanistan skipper asserted that, in big matches, clarity of thought is key, something he believes comes with having simple plans.
“Against a bigger team, you don't need to have so many plans and that's something which does affect your performance.
“You need to be very clear with a couple of plans, what is very effective on a certain pitch on the wicket and how you're going to bowl in that and keep it simple. If a batsman is playing good shots, you can't do anything about that. But if he's playing one good shot and you're giving three extra boundaries with that, that is when the panic starts.”
Rashid also hoped for improved clarity and performances from his middle-order. Afghanistan have had a pretty good T20WC so far, but it’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran who have thus far done the bulk of the scoring. Afghanistan’s numbers three to six have averaged just 15.5 while having struck at 6.1 RPO.
“Well, middle order, when you do lose a couple of wickets in early power play, I don't think so many teams can come back as strong. They always struggle in a condition like this. But definitely, we struggle in the middle order, to be honest,” Rashid said.
“And that's the area we need to improve. But as I said, it's more about the mindset, which mindset you go on with the game. And when you're playing inside, what's in your mind? And what's your thinking?
“And to be honest, as a middle order player, you can't do, you can't be very pre-planned. You have to see the situation and read the condition and the scoreboard. And that's where you become more effective. And you need to keep yourself very busy.
“Middle order does not give you so many boundaries. They give you singles, doubles, and then after five, six balls the boundary comes. I feel like if the middle order does understand that responsibility, then the job becomes easier.”
Further talking about his side's batting, Rashid said that, against India, his side made the error of going with 'pre-planned' shots against quality bowlers. Case in point, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who perished after making up his mind about dancing down the track to Jasprit Bumrah. Rashid said that the Afghan batters will have to be smarter against world-class bowlers.
"Sometime I feel like we have played very much pre-planned shots, which did cost us the game. And against the lower teams, it does work. But against the bigger teams, I don't think so it does work. And that's the only thing I feel we need to learn, that we just need to stay and react. And that's how it is important.
"You're facing a quality bowling like Bumrah. I think he's very smart. And if you're having those pre-planned shot against him, I think that's where he gets the success. So that's a kind of learning for us. And we hope we don't repeat that in future."
The clash against Australia on June 22 (Saturday) is a do-or-die fixture for Afghanistan. A loss will knock them out of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
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