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ICC World Cup 2019 Preview: Top teams need to worry about the fearless aggression of the Afghans

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MenInG

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Many thanks to [MENTION=131470]gazza619[/MENTION] for this preview.


Given their ranking in ICC’s ODI Rankings, Afghanistan are the true underdogs of this World Cup, but then, who doesn't love an underdog? Many Afghan cricketers learned the game in refugee camps in Pakistan when their families had to immigrate due to Soviet invasion in the 1980s and their progress to qualify for the 10-team ICC tournament is truly remarkable. In recent times, Afghanistan’s World Cup preparations have been far from ideal as the Afghan cricket board decided to replace the national team captain, Asghar Afghan. Afghan had been the captain for all three formats for almost four years. He was replaced by 28-year-old all-rounder Gulbadin Naib who has been in and out the side since he made his debut 10 years ago but given the support he has garnered from his teammates, he could well lead his side to some big achievements in the tournament.


Afghanistan_Cricket_Reuters.jpg


Strengths:

Imbibed with the well cliched Afghan spirit which means that the ‘never give up’ and ‘fight till the last ball’ spirit is ever-present in the Afghanistan side, Gulbadin Naib’s men are sure to provide many memorable performances by the time they have played all their games. Afghanistan has been playing a brand of cricket which is very attractive to watch. They are aggressive, fearless and have beaten teams like Bangladesh, West Indies, Sri Lanka and secured a tie against India. They are well served in the spin department with the world-class talent of Rashid Khan and their top-order has a look of menace about them which their opponents will be wary of.


Weaknesses:

Courage to play the big shots is a great quality but on tricky surfaces, this could also lead to downfall and this is something the Afghan batsmen will need to worry about and is also something opposition bowlers would have noted. Apart from that, Afghanistan's biggest weakness is their fielding as was witnessed in the warmup game against Pakistan. They do not seem to work very hard on fielding which is not a surprise as this seems to be a subcontinental anomaly. The ICC World Cup 2019 will not be that easy as each team will be up against the best cricket teams of the world and so to maintain fitness in a long competition and keep the same intensity throughout will be a tough ask for a team like Afghanistan.



Players to watch

Afghanistan's opening pair is full of fire. On one side, they have the explosive Mohammad Shahzad who thinks having a Virat Kohli like diet is of no use to him as he can still hit big sixes. And on the other end, they have a master-blaster of their own, the next big thing, the 21-year-old Hazratullah Zazai. In February 2019, Zazai scored the highest individual score by an Afghan batsman in a Twenty20 International, with an unbeaten 162 runs off 62 balls against Ireland. Zazai has the capability to destroy bowling attacks. He is one player to look out for as he can change a game and is a crowd pleaser. He also has the ability to destroy bowler’s confidence as an exasperated Shaheen Shah Afridi found to his discomfort.

Afghanistan also arguably have the best spinners in the competition. They rely heavily on the trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Muhammad Nabi. Rashid Khan is a well-known entity in world cricket. He is the top-ranked bowler in the Twenty20 format and third in the list of bowlers for ODIs. With the dry wickets in England spinners will have a big role to play and the Afghan’s could well have a huge say in the proceedings.


Prediction

Afghanistan has the ingredients to upset a few teams in the World Cup. They are unlikely to make it to the semi-finals since the competition is so tough, however they will most certainly be spoiling the campaigns of a few teams.


Full Afghanistan Squad:

Gulbadin Naib (C)
Mohammad Shahzad (wk)
Noor Ali Zadran
Hazratullah Zazai
Rahmat Shah
Asghar Afghan
Hashmatullah Shahidi
Najibullah Zadran
Samiullah Shinwari
Mohammad Nabi
Rashid Khan
Dawlat Zadran
Aftab Alam
Hamid Hassan
Mujeeb ur Rahman
 
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Afghanistan skipper Gulbadin Naib insists his side’s confidence remains undimmed despite their warm-up defeat to England on the eve of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019.

Afghanistan were bowled out for only 160 at the Oval on Monday and then were powerless to prevent Jason Roy scoring 89 from 46 balls to spearhead a comfortable chase.

But underestimate Afghanistan at your peril, this was just a warm-up after all, and they have won three of their past five ODIs.

Throw in a warm-up win over Pakistan in Bristol last weekend, and new skipper Naib is feeling positive that they can surpass four years ago when they made their debut in the tournament and emerged with a win over Scotland.

“Today we saw some good cricket from the England side, they played really well,” he said.

“We saw how they bowled, and how they batted.

“But this is a big tournament, hopefully we take positives from this match so we can come again to another day.

“If you look at our cricket the last three or four years, we have played well and done a lot of things. The team is improving day by day.

“From 2015, we beat Scotland, but we only won one game.

“Here I am sure we will have some great games, I want to play great games and challenge not just participate.

“Everyone is very excited to take on full nations. Maybe you will see some good cricket.”

Naib was at a loss for words to describe the way Roy and Jonny Bairstow set about the Afghan bowling attack.

The duo put on 77 runs inside eight overs to kick off the chase, and Naib admitted his side paid the price for the way they batted on a fine surface in south London.

But he is confident they have learned their lessons before kicking off their campaign next weekend against Australia.

He added: “Roy and Bairstow played T10 cricket! The wicket was very flat by then.

“It suited the batters, we did not do well in the batting. If we had properly batted for 50 overs it might have been different.

“The pitch looked good at the start of the day for the bowlers, England won the toss and started well from there.

“As the batting side, we made a few mistakes, then after ten or 15 overs the pitch flattened out.

“But we didn’t take responsibility and we missed out from there.”
 
It's a team filled with hacks. They were trying to play against eng the way they played against pak. Not all bowlers are as thick as pak's. Highly doubt that they'll upset one of the top 5 teams.
 
Afghanistan team knows it won't go far so these hacks will go hard but their chances to win games are small.Afghanistan may win a couple of games but against big teams it will be shown their place.
 
They may cause an upset by winning a match against SRL, PAK,BD or WI. Their batting lacks consistency , spin bowling is very good. Can't go far with this line up.
 
Rashid khan is the only top class int player in this team. Nabi is a decent spin bowling allrounder. M. Sahazad and hasratullah on their day can be dangerous, but thats only going to happen in a couple of games. Mujeeb is over rated and the rest of the team is not of int standard. Afghan fans are reading too much into the pak win in a warm up match. I really cant see afghanistan beating anyone in this tournament.
 
I will eat a hat if Afg can beat one of ENG/SA/IND/AUS/NZ

their best bet to win games against WI/PAK/BD/SL is if rashid khan having a great day and one of their two top order hacks or both somehow gets goings
 
Aggression minus Skill against quality is stupidity as England proved against them
 
I think Afghanistan are a team who cannot be taken lightly and it is a huge complement to them that they have reached this level so fast. If you slip up and take the game for granted, they can hurt you. Pakistan losing to them is a huge wake up call for everyone and obviously England brought their A game instead of trying to take it light.
 
Gulbadin Naib believes Afghanistan are more than capable of upsetting the defending champions Australia in their opening game of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in Bristol.

The 28-year-old skipper insists his side are out to prove they are not just making up the numbers and can live with the best in the world.

Afghanistan made their first World Cup appearance in 2015 in Australia and New Zealand, where they were comprehensively beaten by the hosts and finished with one win to their name.

But with one of the most fearsome bowling attacks around, Naib is convinced his team can cause Australia problems if the conditions at the Bristol County Ground are in their favour.

“It depends on the game and how the wicket behaves,” he said. “Obviously we have a great spin department but it will depend on the wicket as the Australia team are world class players.

“It’s depends on the day on how our bowlers bowl to them, but I have confidence in my team and in my players for how we’ve prepared over the last year.

“When we came here to participate in the tournament and we have a good team, world class players, and it’s cricket - we beat Pakistan in the first warm-up game.

“Anything can happen so we’re here and we’ll try and play good cricket against them but obviously we have respect for each team and Australia are a champion team.

“I respect them and we’ll be giving 100 per cent on the ground and I have full confidence in my team, I believe in my team and how we’ve played cricket the last two or three years.”

Afghanistan will take plenty of encouragement from their warm-up victory against Pakistan in Bristol as they target the first upset of the tournament against Aaron Finch’s side.

And while Naib is aware of the task facing his players, he highlighted the improvements Afghanistan have made in every single department since their World Cup debut.

“If you look at our last World Cup how we played in Australia, obviously they were the best side and they played really well there and finished as world champions,” he said.

“We played against Pakistan here in the warm-up game and our team has changed now, so it’s not like in 2015 where we are so now everything has changed.

“In the last couple of years we have improved very well in every department so hopefully it will be a great game against Australia. It’s a big stage, and we’re looking forward to doing our best.”

Another positive for Afghanistan is the return of batsman Mohammad Shahzad, who is fit for selection after being left out of the second warm-up game against England at the Oval.

Formidable spinner Rashid Khan, the best white-ball bowler in the world, is also expected to start but Naib was quick to point out that Afghanistan are more than just one player.

“We have a good spin attack and also we have a good pacer now Hamid Hassan is back, so everyone is just thinking about the bowling attack of Afghanistan,” he said.

“I have full confidence in them but we should also be working the batting line-up, as everyone just thinks about the bowling. If you look at the last game against Pakistan, the pitch favours us.

“That’s why they didn’t score too much against us and if we have this kind of wicket every and each team in the competition will be in trouble.”
 
So should Australia fear Afghanistan in today's game?
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">2008 - Afghanistan were playing in the ICC World Cricket League Division Five against the likes of Jersey.<br><br>2019 - Afghanistan are playing in the ICC World Cup against Australia.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CWC19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CWC19</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AFGvAUS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AFGvAUS</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1134800921148440577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2019</a></blockquote>
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MenInG said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">2008 - Afghanistan were playing in the ICC World Cricket League Division Five against the likes of Jersey.<br><br>2019 - Afghanistan are playing in the ICC World Cup against Australia.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CWC19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CWC19</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AFGvAUS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AFGvAUS</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1134800921148440577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2019</a></blockquote>
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I expect India,Australia,and England to beat Afghanistan. They will challenge the rest of the teams.
 
Afghanistan will lose to Eng,Aus,Ind ,SA and NZ.They may have a chance against the rest of the teams.Don't forget Afghanistan have nothing to lose.Even if they lose all their matches there will be no hue and cry at home.The other teams get a lot of bashing from their media,public and ex-crickters which puts them under pressure.
 
Najibullah Zadran vowed the best is yet to come from Afghanistan after he scored a fifty in their opening ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup defeat to defending champions Australia.

The Afghanis found themselves in trouble early on after winning the toss and batting first, losing openers Mohammad Shahzad and Hazratullah Zazai for ducks.

But a half-century from Najibullah (51), along with scores of 43 and 31 from Rahmat Shah and captain Gulbadin Naib, respectively, ensured Afghanistan fought back to set a target of 208.

And while David Warner (89 not out) and Aaron Finch (66) ultimately helped Australia to a comfortable seven-wicket win, Najibullah is confident that Afghanistan will learn from their shortcomings.

“We made a lot of mistakes because we made some wrong shot selections when we were batting, but hopefully we will improve this going forward,” said the 26-year-old.

“We will improve for the next game and come back stronger. We probably gave a way a few easy runs as the Australian batsmen run really fast.

“With the next matches we have coming we will work on our fielding with our coach, especially in the circle, and try our best to do better in our next game.

“We are a good side and I think we can beat any side in the world. We will always try our best and I am confident we can cause some upsets in this tournament.”

Najibullah has been in impressive form for Afghanistan with the bat of late, with his performance against Australia following scores of 60 and 104 not out against Ireland earlier this year.

His powerful stroke play was the highlight of the innings as Afghanistan were forced to recover from 77/5 after Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins (3/40) tore through their openers.

The Afghans showed plenty of resistance, though, as they passed 200 with Najibullah assisted by excellent knocks from captain Gulbadin, Rahmat and Rashid Khan (27).

Afghanistan will now turn their attention to bouncing back in their next clash against Sri Lanka on Tuesday in Cardiff, where Najibullah intends to continue playing his natural game.

“I am really happy with how I performed as I got a fifty and I played really well, so I hope I can continue my form throughout the whole tournament,” he said.

“We were probably 40-50 runs short of what we wanted against Australia in the end as the wicket was good, but we lost early wickets which is why we were under pressure.

“Hopefully we can continue our form in the next matches. When I went into bat the coach told me to play my natural game and continue the way I’ve batted the last three or four months.

“I’ve been played really well in the ODI matches and that’s why I am very confident in my batting and I just went out there and played my natural game.”
 
Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib was keen to stress the positives from his side’s performance after suffering a seven-wicket defeat to Australia at the Bristol County Ground.

A half-century from Najibullah Zadran helped the Afghans recover from the worst possible start, in which they lost both of their openers for ducks, to post a target of 208.

But David Warner hit an unbeaten 89 to guide the reigning champions to a comfortable victory after Australia skipper Aaron Finch set the tone with an explosive 66 off 49 balls.

And despite admitting that Afghanistan’s total was sub-par, Gulbadin was encouraged by the way his side fought back and showed that they can live with the best teams in the world.

“It is a low score on this kind of surface and if you batted faster, you should be 250 or 270-plus runs on this kind of surface against Australia or any other team,” he said.

“You can't give them any chances [to take wickets], so this is why we slightly missed out on some runs. If you look at the start of the innings, we lost two wickets in two overs.

“[Mohammad] Shahzad and Hazratullah [Zazai] didn't bat well and also in the middle we struggled.

“We thought positive things in the middle and me and Zadran were able to make a 90-run partnership.

“We thought we could score 200, 250 plus, but credit goes to the Australian side, they bowled really well. When you face [Mitchell] Starc and [Pat] Cummins, it's quite quick.

“We can play against these kind of teams, so you should take positive things from them, they can't give you any single chance of mistakes. Obviously, we have a tough match upcoming.”

Shahzad and Hazratullah lost their wickets without scoring a run in the first two overs after Afghanistan, who face Sri Lanka in Cardiff in their next game on Tuesday, decided to bat first.

Further wickets fell as Afghanistan found themselves 77/5 before skipper Gulbadin (31) and Najibullah (51) mounted a recovery to guide their side to 160/5 in Bristol.

A late cameo from Rashid Khan (27) ensured the lowest ranked team in the tournament passed 200 as Cummins (3-40) and Adam Zampa (3-60) were the pick of the Aussie bowlers.

Finch and Warner made easy work of the chase, though, as Australia reached the target within 35 overs for their ninth consecutive ODI victory and a perfect start to their defence.

But while the result did not go their way, Afghanistan showed enough to suggest they can upset a few sides in this tournament – especially with their passionate support behind them.

Gulbadin continued: “Every team, especially for us, is a tough team, so we are just waiting for our turn. You know this type of team doesn’t give you a single chance.

“But they are coming really hard and harder how they did in this game. We look and we just take a positive thing from the performance and go for the next day.

“Obviously, if you have this kind of audience and they are supporting you and you know your side, so the difficulty you have – you take a lot of positive things from the crowd.

“So the crowd and all support for Afghanistan, and there was a huge number of Afghans in the crowd, gave us a lot of energy on the ground for the boys.”
 
Keep calm and carry on - that’s Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib’s message to his players ahead of their second World Cup clash against Sri Lanka in Cardiff.

Afghanistan opened their campaign with a seven-wicket defeat to reigning champions Australia, who chased down 208 thanks to half-centuries from David Warner and Aaron Finch.

Despite the result, there were plenty of positives for the Afghans who fought back from 77-5 down after losing opening batsmen Mohammad Shahzad and Hazratullah Zazai for ducks.

Najibullah Zadran was particularly impressive with the bat - and Gulbadin believes his side are more than capable of posting a big total against Sri Lanka if they can keep wickets in hand.

“My message has been one thing, just to look at the positives,” he said. “If you look, we missed out early on and then we scored 200-plus so if we have wickets in hand it could have been 300-plus.

“We need to stay on the wickets and don’t give away wickets easily, then we can have wickets in hand then we have the potential to do in the last ten overs 80-90 runs or more.

“Australia are the best side, they are a champion side, they played hard against us so one thing the guys took away is the positives if they stay in the wicket.

“Any of the teams on this kind of surface in England can score 300 as it’s not difficult to score so one thing I said to them is to play their game and stay calm, this is the main thing.”

Sri Lanka are also looking to bounce back after suffering a heavy defeat in their opening game against New Zealand, losing by ten wickets after being bowled out for just 136 runs.

But while the Cardiff pitch appears to favour seamers, Gulbadin is confident his world-class spinners, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, can take advantage.

“If you look at the Sri Lanka team the last two years they have been struggling in the one-day matches so we have an opportunity to do well against them,” he said.

“I hope that if we can play 50 overs, especially in the batting, maybe we can beat them, but they are also a good team and we can not take them easy.

“If in the start the seamers are bowling well, automatically confidence goes to the spinner sides, we have good spinners with Rashid and Mujeeb and they can spin it anywhere.

“They can spin it in any kind of conditions so if we can get a good start with the bat, as they are traditionally a good bowling side, then we can do well with our bowling attack.

“I have full confidence in our spinners so we just want to build some momentum in the match, we really have momentum spinners like Rashid and Mujeeb in how they bowl.”

And although it is only early days in Afghanistan’s second World Cup appearance, Gulbadin insists he has already seen a drastic improvement in his side’s performance compared to 2015.

“If you look for the last game against Australia, we did well a lot of things there,” he said. “I think we played how we played in the last two, three years cricket, so we improve a lot of things.

“I think it's good for us to play here at this level. If you play this kind of matches only this kind of team, you take a lot of positive things and it's work in the future.”
 
With Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi in their team, Afghanistan always have a chance.

The spin duo are ranked second and third in the world ODI all-rounder standings and often shoulder the weight of a nation’s hopes every time they go into battle for their side.

Both have been central figures in Afghanistan’s ascension; from playing in World Cricket League Division Five in 2008 to contesting their second ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

And their significance to their country was underlined emphatically against Sri Lanka after their intervention in Cardiff prompted yet another batting collapse from their opponents.

Just three days after surrendering to 136 all out against New Zealand, Sri Lanka appeared to have put their batting woes behind them as they coasted to 144/1 after 21 overs.

Afghanistan’s fielding during that period had left a lot to be desired, with no balls, overthrows and missed run-out opportunities allowing Sri Lanka to ease any nerves they may have felt.

Enter Rashid and Nabi. The latter had already taken one scalp - capturing the key wicket of Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne in the 14th over - before turning the match on its head.

The experienced campaigner returned in the 22nd over and wreaked havoc with his off spin as Lahiru Thirimanne became his second victim after dragging a slow ball onto his stumps.

It kick-started an astonishing spell in the game, which saw Sri Lanka lose seven wickets for 36 runs in the space of 11 overs before the rain brought an untimely halt to proceedings.

Having taken Thirimanne’s wicket with his second ball of the over, Nabi tempted Kusal Mendis forward two deliveries later with a looped effort and saw him caught at first slip.

Nabi was now in his element and capped off a sensational over with his and Afghanistan’s fourth wicket of the day, with Angelo Mathews suffering his second consecutive duck.

With the floodgates now well and truly open, Afghanistan went for the kill and Hamid Hassan joined the party in the next over by taking the wicket of the scoreless Dhananjaya de Silva.

Sri Lanka’s frailties were now clear for all to see and Thisara Perera’s run out in the 26th over piled on more pressure as Nabi continued to frustrate the batsmen with his deceptive flight.

To this point, Rashid had only played a support act. His first three overs had not produced any wickets, but the talented 20-year-old had also only conceded 11 runs.

Only two runs came from his next two overs, which saw him confound the opposition with his bag of tricks, as Afghanistan cranked up the pressure on Sri Lanka’s batsmen.

It paid off when Isuru Udana gave away his wicket to Dawlat Zadran in the next over, before Rashid returned to take the wicket he deserved as the rain began to fall.

Kusal Perera had been Sri Lanka’s best batsman but an attempted reverse sweep backfired and he gloved the ball into the grateful hands of Mohammad Shahzad for 78.

With Sri Lanka on the cusp of being bowled out, the weather came to their rescue and gave them a stay of execution, with the score at 182/8 as the two teams took an early lunch.

Unfortunately for Sri Lanka, they were forced to bat another eight overs on their return to the crease after the rain subsided and the game was adjusted to 41-overs per side.

And they were unable to bat out their overs as Dawlat took his second wicket of the afternoon before Rashid bowled Nuwan Pradeep with a snorter of a delivery to end the innings.

Rashid finished with 2-17 from 7.5 overs alongside Nabi’s figures of 4-30, but their efforts proved to be in vain as Afghanistan fell short of their revised target of 187 under DSL.

Ultimately, Afghanistan’s performance in Cardiff was emblematic of their current situation. Their batting in the one-day game remains a weakness that is costing them all-too frequently.

But in Nabi and Rashid they possess genuine match-winning bowlers. Their heroics with the ball even masked over the fact that Sri Lanka’s second top-scorer was extras with 35 runs.

This was a game they would have been targeting for a potential victory, though. Now, Afghanistan must regroup and find a way to back up their bowling superstars.
 
Mirwais Ashraf: There is no pressure on Afghanistan against New Zealand so they must play positive cricket

After losing such a close game to Sri Lanka, the next match against New Zealand is now a very important one for Afghanistan. The Black Caps are a respected side in very good form.

They have an excellent bowling attack, with very good seamers and in-form batsmen. We’re not favourites, so the hope is that the side can play good, positive cricket.

All the expectation is on New Zealand but if we pick the right 11 for the conditions and opposition, Afghanistan can beat any of the strongest sides in the world, including New Zealand.

There’s disappointment at home at the moment because losing to Sri Lanka was a shock and people expected the team to do well. Maybe expectations are too high back home.

Right now, our chances of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals are slim, but there’s still a chance to beat at least a couple of sides in our remaining matches.

I’ve said previously Afghanistan should be targeting the likes of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and while the game against Sri Lanka was very tight, we could and should have beaten them.

Unfortunately, a few decisions, especially in our selection, cost us. We beat Sri Lanka quite recently in the Asia Cup and I still think we are probably a better side than they are.

But we aren’t performing when it matters. In the first 10 overs, we didn’t bowl well, and Sri Lanka scored 90-100 runs, so for me the first Powerplay was not good enough from Afghanistan.

You simply can’t concede 100 runs on these kinds of wickets, which are good for seamers, and hope to do well. There were also way too many extras conceded.

The 35 extras, of which 22 were wides, had a big impact on the game and ultimately it’s a big reason why we lost because the margin of defeat was only 34 runs in the end.

Sri Lanka, by contrast, bowled really well. With the seam and swing of the wicket, it was truly a decent track for bowling - they made the most of it and we didn’t.

Despite the seaming wicket, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi both bowled very well. It was a straight wicket, with not too much turn for spinners, but they took wickets at key times.

The revised score was a total that Afghanistan could have chased down. Unfortunately, though, Mohammad Shahzad lost his wicket really early and the top order batsmen Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi both threw their wickets away.

Personally, I don’t think it was an easy wicket to bat on. The revised total of 187 was difficult to chase, especially given the quality in the Sri Lankan pace attack.

That said, our batsmen still aren’t clicking on the English wickets. We’re lacking partnerships at important stages and we’re seeing too many batsmen give their wickets away.

This is the main problem with the batting. My worry heading into the start of the competition was that we were struggling a little bit in the batting department.

We’ve seen the same things play out in both of the matches so far. There have been too many mistakes and some players aren’t batting very responsibly.

I think it’s time to give a chance to some of the other seamers and batsmen in the squad now as we look to turn things around, starting with the game against New Zealand.

ICC Media Release
 
Mohammad Shahzad out of CWC19, Khil called up

The ICC has confirmed that the Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 has approved Khil as a replacement player for Shahzad in the Afghanistan squad for the remainder of the tournament.

Shahzad had retired hurt after suffering a knee injury in Afghanistan's warm-up fixture against Pakistan. While the wicket-keeper batsman featured in their opening games against Australia and Sri Lanka, the aggravated injury has ruled him out of participation in the rest of the competition.

Since the 2015 World Cup, Shahzad has been Afghanistan's second highest run-scorer in one-day internationals with 1843 runs in 55 innings. Khil, his replacement, made his international debut against Ireland last year.

The replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the replacement player can be officially added to the squad.

The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 consists of Geoff Allardice (ICC, ETC chairman), Campbell Jamieson (ICC representative), Steve Elworthy (CWC representative), Alan Fordham (host representative), Harsha Bhogle and Kumar Sangakkara (both independent representatives).
 
7 June - Taunton - Afghanistan Captain Gulbadin Naib pre-match press conference

Q. You had a setback yesterday with Mohammad Shahzad being ruled out. He's quite an influential player on your team. What's the mood like now without him being available?
GULBADIN NAIB: Obviously it's a big loss of our side. So, Shahzad is one of -- a great player for Afghanistan. He did a lot of -- I'm also upset of him -- he, the last two, three weeks he's struggling, his knee. So he's not feeling well also in the matches. He can't moving on the right time.

So I also kept him, last two weeks, just I checked with my doctor, with my physio. So I gave the time to him. So if he recover on the time, maybe it's good for the team. But unfortunately it's a bad luck of Shahzad.

So I'm really upset of him. So we lost him. But it's cricket. So first it's important, as a team, is also coming of Afghanistan, so what's important for Afghanistan. So hope he will recover soon so he will come back on the team. But the new guy's coming, Ikram Ali Khil, under-19 guy. He's very well. He's a young guy and I hope he will do well.

Q. Apart from Shahzad's batting and his keeping, what will you miss obviously being with the team for such a long time, got a lot of experience and seems to be a pretty lively character on the team as well? What will you miss in the dressing room?
GULBADIN NAIB: Yes, Shahzad is very energetic. Also in the dressing room he's very funny. Also he entertains every time the team members. So we miss a lot of things of him especially in the ground even. But obviously when you look for your country, it's more important for your country, so what's the best for the country. So we should go for that.

So I think Shahzad is one of the best players in Afghanistan now still, but his last four, eight, six years, but we miss a lot of things of him. I'm really upset for him, but his injury, so we cannot say if he recover on the time. So he's taking a lot of time. So I'm really upset for him.

Q. When you look back on the Sri Lanka match now are there positives you can take from how well you bowled, or is the overriding feeling disappointment that you couldn't quite adjust on the total?
GULBADIN NAIB: If you look at the last game against Sri Lanka, we missed a lot of things on the start of the match and also starting our innings on the batting side. So what we need, just need a good start, like, if you bowl or if you bat. So we keep momentum of 10 hours on the start of, if you batted or if you bowling.

So that's the main thing. But if you do like this stuff so maybe it's easy for us for playing a 50-overs game. So we take the lot of things from the last game with Sri Lanka. One time it looked like we were in the game. So then me and Najib batted really well, just -- we think just Sri Lanka is going down. So after it's like a champion side so great team. So this is -- Sri Lanka is also, they never let you go like -- but we take a lot of things. Hope we carry on our momentum in the upcoming matches.

Q. New Zealand looked vulnerable against the spin in the match against Bangladesh. How does that play into your game plan?
GULBADIN NAIB: Nothing planned for New Zealand. We just have to look for the condition and the ground and also the surface. So it's totally different. It's not like issue, lack of (indiscernible) or something. So we look for the turn for tomorrow. If you have like three spinners, best spinners in the world now recently Afghanistan have. So we're just looking for the -- if we could support spinners or maybe it's very difficult for any team, not only New Zealand. But the plan is that -- the plan is that. So also I'm giving to the boys display your initial game and go for your best and just play 50 overs games. If you played 50 overs maybe it's totally different for any team.

Q. Although Afghanistan lost to Australia, there have been plenty of positives been said about your side. What are the kind of positives you're taking forward ahead of tomorrow's encounter?
GULBADIN NAIB: Definitely if you're playing these kind of teams, especially Australia, a good side. So one thing we take with Australia is like the boys have slight pressure with bowlers, like starts, comes in really fast. And we played them really well at the start of the innings and after and we score a good total on the board. But we also missed 11 hours in that match.

So I think now everyone is just thinking the cricket is the same so it's only names. If you go with the names, maybe it's very difficult. If you go with the ball or the bat, maybe it's very easy. So this is the main thing for now; we're taking with the Australia game.

So now Insha Allah I hope we'll do best cricket. So we're trying to do best for the next match. So Insha Allah, if you do well the, start of the day, so Insha Allah, the result would be different.

Q. How important is the job between Rashid Khan and Kane Williamson here given they both played at Sunrisers Hyderabad?
GULBADIN NAIB: It's very difficult, the last two seasons, between Rashid and Kane Williamson playing together in Sunrisers. But Rashid is not like the other bowlers. It's totally different. He was, the last four years, with the national team, but even then nobody knows how he bowled in the nets. So it's very difficult to pick him. I think it's not only for Kane, also it is difficult for our players, too. It's difficult for our batsmen and we're playing against him in the nets. Rashid is very different, quick and fast. Didn't give you time to pick him. So I think it's very difficult. So I hope Rashid will be do best before he did.

Q. Now you've played the team that won last time and you're going to play the team that also reached the final the runners up. How different has this experience and this campaign been for the squad compared to your trip to Australia and New Zealand in 2015?
GULBADIN NAIB: It's totally different now. We played in 2015 World Cup is our first World Cup for Afghanistan. So it's totally different. And high stage. Beginning of cricket. We just think the times, it's a big honour for Afghanistan who is participating in this kind of events.

And now in this workup, it's totally changed everything. Now we improve day-by-day. Our ticket is going day-by-day up. So here we're not just to participate in the World Cup or -- so we we're here for doing something different and we show to the world so Afghanistan is not like 2015 team.

And I think you saw in the first few games, like, against Pakistan also and against Australia. Now Afghanistan, it was totally different now. So we have also like world-class players and the team in our side. So you have world-class batsmen now. So we're trying to do best cricket here and show to the world so Afghanistan not like a 2015 World Cup where we are. Now we're here so it's totally different, I think. Afghanistan team is totally different.

Q. The New Zealand attack with Matt and -- Matt Henry and Trent Boult has been creating a lot of trouble. Comment on that, is there any specific plans you're working at in terms of the base attack of New Zealand?
GULBADIN NAIB: Nothing planned for them. So I think the bowl is not that much fast. So my plan for the boys just play for a natural game and just go for who we are now, why we are here. So just go for your natural -- don't look for the names, just play for your cricket, just play with the ball. So I think if you survive 10, 15 hours maybe it's totally different in the end of the day.

So they have plenty of experience and visual insights. So Trent Boult and also Henry and the other guys, they have much, much experience. But we look forward for playing our natural game and for like the Afghan way. So we shall do our best for game day.
 
Gulbadin Naib wants his team to play the ‘Afghan way’ and not focus on New Zealand’s star players

Gulbadin Naib is urging his Afghanistan players to ignore the stars in the New Zealand line-up and simply play cricket the ‘Afghan way’ when they go head to head in Taunton.

The Black Caps have two wins from two, Matt Henry has currently taken more wickets than anyone else in the tournament with seven, while Ross Taylor and Trent Boult are in the top three of the ICC ODI batting and bowling rankings respectively.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan have impressed in both their matches but suffered a seven-wicket defeat to Australia before losing to Sri Lanka by 34 runs in a rain-affected game.

And at their second ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, Gulbadin is keen to show the world that they’re not the same side that lost five out of six games in 2015 – with the sole victory coming against Scotland.

“It’s totally different now. 2015 was our first World Cup and that was just the beginning of cricket for us,” said the skipper. “It’s a high stage and it was a big honour for Afghanistan, participating in this kind of event.

“But the build-up to this World Cup has changed everything. We are improving day by day – we’re not here just to participate, we’re here to do something different and to show the world that we’re not like the 2015 team.

“You saw in the warm-up game against Pakistan and against Australia as well that Afghanistan is totally different now. We have world-class players in the team, world-class batsmen.

“We’re trying to produce our best cricket and show the world we’re not like the 2015 World Cup – it’s a totally different team.

“We will play our natural game, just go for who we are and why we’re here. It’s important we don’t look for the names [in the New Zealand team], just play the ball.

“They have plenty of experience in the New Zealand side – Trent Boult and other guys. But we look forward to playing our natural game and playing the Afghan way. Hopefully we do the best we can.”

One negative for Afghanistan in the build-up to the New Zealand clash is that opening batsman and wicket-keeper Mohammad Shahzad has been ruled out for the rest of the World Cup with a knee injury.

Shahzad has been replaced in the squad by Ikram Ali Khil and while Gulbadin admits the 31-year-old will be missed both on and off the field, he claims the team have no option but to adjust.

“Obviously it’s a big loss to our side. Shahzad is a great player for Afghanistan but over the last two or three weeks, he’s been struggling with his knee,” added the captain.

“It’s bad luck for Shahzad and we’re very upset for him but it’s cricket and it’s about the team first.

“Shahzad is very energetic and funny in the dressing room but it’s about doing what is best for the country. He’s one of best players in Afghanistan, so we’ll miss a lot of things.

“But the new guy, Ikram Ali Khil, is coming – he’s a young guy and I hope he will do well.”
 
Noor calls on Afghanistan to improve batting

Afghanistan must focus on building partnerships and finally producing a complete batting performance at this World Cup, according to Noor Ali Zadran.

Noor played his first game of the tournament against New Zealand at Taunton – a quirk of fate seeing him replace his own nephew Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the XI – and batted well to make 31 at the top of the order.

He and fellow opener Hazratullah Zazai put on 66 for the first wicket but Hazratullah’s dismissal at the hands of Jimmy Neesham sparked a collapse to 70/4 and Afghanistan were eventually skittled for 172, before the Black Caps cruised to a seven-wicket victory with 17.5 overs to spare.

When batting first at this ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, Afghanistan have been bowled out in 38.2 and 41.1 overs, while they failed to chase down 187 in the other game.

And Noor is under no illusions about the improvements that are needed with bat in hand as they continue their quest for a first victory.

“If you play against top teams like New Zealand, they will be coming at you hard,” he said. “Luckily, we had a good start here but unfortunately, we lost quick wickets in the middle after that.

“We need more small partnerships to contribute and get us towards a total of 250, 270 or something like that.

“The batsmen are not getting their rhythm or in a good partnership. That’s why we couldn’t manage to play 50 overs. We need to bat better.

“Sometimes we’re batting well in the opening, sometimes in the middle overs but it needs to be perfect for the next matches.”

Afghanistan were forced to leave the field twice during their innings due to rain, with each disruption lasting just under half an hour.

Yet Noor refused to use those delays as an excuse for a batting display that gave their bowlers very little to defend.

“The rain didn’t make any difference to us,” he insisted. “Every team when they play in England, the first thing they prepare for is the weather. There will be rain and the match will be off and on.

“If there is rain and you are off and on, your mind will be still be on cricket in the dressing room, wherever we are going on match day.”
 
Gulbadin Naib believes one performance can turn Afghanistan’s campaign around

Morale is still high in the Afghanistan camp despite a third consecutive defeat, according to Gulbadin Naib, with the skipper insisting one strong performance could turn their World Cup around.

Afghanistan are currently bottom of the table with three losses from three games after going down by seven wickets to a professional New Zealand performance in Taunton.

Batting first, openers Noor Ali Zadran and Hazratullah Zazai set a promising platform with a 66-run stand but once Jimmy Neesham broke the partnership, the wheels came off somewhat.

Neesham took his maiden ODI five-for as the Afghans collapsed to 172 all out and despite losing Martin Guptill to the first ball of the innings, the Black Caps then comfortably knocked off the runs with 17.5 overs to spare – paced by captain Kane Williamson’s unbeaten 79.

But despite another setback following the losses to Australia and Sri Lanka, Gulbadin is confident brighter times are just around the corner.

“Morale is still high for us. We just need one good match and hopefully we can do that,” said the skipper.

“We need some momentum – our start on the batting was a good thing. The start of our bowling was also good. Aftab Alam and Hamid Hassan did well.

“We have played three games and we’re trying to put our best on the ground. Every player is trying to do his best but it’s tough cricket, tough teams. You don’t get many chances.

“Teams don’t go easy for Afghanistan. It’s very hard. When we did well at the start of the innings, we then collapsed in the middle.

“If you’re losing matches, it can be difficult in the dressing room but I know my team-mates – we’re not losing one-sided matches, we just need one good match.

“I know how my boys are playing – we’ve played some good cricket over the last year, so we’ll try our best again.”

In the two matches in which they have batted first at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, Afghanistan have been bowled out in 38.2 and 41.1 overs, while they failed to chase down 187 in the other.

Against New Zealand, nine of the 10 wickets were out caught – often to careless shots – and Gulbadin knows his team must be more disciplined with the bat.

“Our shot selection wasn’t good,” he explained. “The wicket for really good for the seamers and there were some rain showers, so the ball was kicking.

“But we threw away some wickets with some bad shots. If we played our 50 overs, maybe the score would have been better.

“We started really well at the start of the innings with a 60 partnership. I always say we need more small partnerships but we missed out.

“The most important thing on the batting side is playing your 50 overs and putting a good total on the board.”
 
Hamid Hassan has promised Afghanistan will keep on fighting in search of their first win at this year’s World Cup, following defeat to New Zealand.

Afghanistan started promisingly in Taunton as Hazratullah Zazai and Noor Ali Zadran put on 66 for the opening wicket but Hazratullah being removed by Jimmy Neesham sparked a collapse that saw them skittled for 172 in 41.1 overs.

Martin Guptill was then dismissed with the first ball of the chase but New Zealand still cruised to a seven-wicket victory with 17.5 overs to spare.

That defeat was Afghanistan’s third in as many games at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 and they now have a lengthy wait until match number four – where they take on South Africa in Cardiff next Saturday.

And opening bowler Hamid believes the break offers the perfect opportunity and reset in pursuit of an historic victory.

“We’ve had three games in ten days but unfortunately we’ve lost all three games,” he said. “We have to re-think and get our mindset ready for another six matches still.

“You always have to think positively because it’s cricket – anything can happen. In the game against Sri Lanka, at one stage we were thinking they would score 300-plus. Then we restricted them to 201.

“At least we can try our best to win two or three matches – you never know after that, maybe the rain comes and we get some bonuses.

“But we have to stay positive and Inshallah we will come stronger next week. We will fight until the end of the last ball in the last round and keep the spirit high.”

Afghanistan’s job of defending 172 became even harder when star spinner Rashid Khan was unavailable to bowl with concussion after being hit in the helmet when batting by Lockie Ferguson.

And Hamid believes the outcome could have been different had Rashid not suffered his unfortunate blow.

“We thought we would get some wickets today but unfortunately the score was quite low and playing against a big team like New Zealand, they have lots of talent and are very mature – they’re not giving you a wicket easily,” explained Hamid.

“You have to have at least 270 or 300 runs on the board, then you can fight harder.

“We missed Rashid a lot because he is a big asset for Afghanistan and everybody knows he is one of the best bowlers in the world in T20.

“Maybe if he had been in the game we would’ve taken two or three more wickets to make the game go a bit longer.

“If we could’ve got to 40 overs maybe we would have had more of a chance. Unfortunately he got hit by Ferguson and he couldn’t manage to bowl. But he feels well now and hopefully will be ready for the next game.”
 
Afghanistan are eyeing their first points at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup when they take on South Africa at Cardiff Wales Stadium on Saturday.

Like South Africa, Afghanistan lost their first three matches of the league stage and want to get points on the table as soon as possible as they seek to challenge the rest of the field, something they believe they can still do.

And despite their results to date they go into Saturday’s game at the Cardiff Wales Stadium with the belief that they can still reach the knock out stages.

Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib said. “We are here to win. We’ve lost three games but we still have a chance. Everyone has nine games and nobody can yet say who will be in the top four.
“We are focusing on the coming games. If we get one good game, it will be good for our cricket.”

Naib identified batting as a major area for improvement in his team and put the responsibility on the top-order to produce runs. “In the last three games only Hashmat (has done well). Everyone else is struggling,” Naib added.
“We know how our batsmen have been playing. If one of the batsmen scores 80 or 100, that will be good for the team. Everyone tried.
“The batsmen have also tried to build small partnerships but it’s important that in the top five, one or two score fifties or eighties. Everyone is hoping we get better and better in the next game.”
Afghanistan have only scored more than 200 runs once in their three innings and only one of their line-up, Hashmatullah Shahidi, has scored a half-century but the bowling and fielding departments did not entirely escape the captain’s critical eye.
“We haven’t click in any department. If we click in one of them, we can do well,” Naib said.

Better news for Afghanistan is that leg spinner Rashid Khan will be available to play after recovering from a blow to the head.
Khan was hit by Lockie Ferguson during Afghanistan’s match against New Zealand last Saturday but has been training and could be key to earning his country their first win at the tournament.
“He practiced yesterday and he is feeling much better now,” Gulbadin Naib, Afghanistan’s captain confirmed.
But, Naib knows conditions may not help Rashid and the rest of his spinners, especially as the wet weather has dominated the build-up to this match.
He added: “In the last three games, it didn't suit the spinners. It will depend on the weather. If the ball spins it is really difficult for anyone. We tried to forget the matches we have already played and look at the next matches.”
 
Afghanistan's Hashmatullah Shahidi insists they have enough quality to upset hosts England next week - but only if their batsmen can score some runs.

The Asian side collapsed to 125 all out against South Africa in Cardiff, the Proteas duly knocking off the runs for a nine-wicket victory inside 30 overs.

Now Afghanistan, winless in the tournament so far, head to Old Trafford to take on in-form England, who sit top of the ODI rankings and have won three of four matches.

“I can say if we play good cricket, we can beat any team but it depends on our batting,” the 24-year-old said.

“We are struggling. If we play good cricket, we can beat any team. We have lost four in a row so we are disappointed. We tried to come back but things have not gone our way. We still have five games to go.

“We collapsed against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, losing wickets in a short space of time. We lost four wickets in two overs here.

“We started well but we lost wickets quickly, that was the main reason for the defeat.”

Afghanistan made an encouraging start on a green wicket, with Hazratullah Zazai and Noor Ali watchfully negotiating the early overs.

Hazratullah – who models his game on West Indies opener Chris Gayle – then started to take risks and was duly caught out, finding Rassie van der Dussen in the deep off Kagiso Rabada's bowling.

Rahmat Shah struggled for 22 balls and six runs before Chris Morris got him lbw but Afghanistan reached 69/2.

However, a second rain delay dulled their focus and South Africa struck, with Andile Phehlukwayo and Imran Tahir sharing four wickets in just over two overs.

And the collapse did not end there, with Tahir finishing with 4/29 as Afghanistan fell to 125 all out before Quinton de Kock (68) and Hashim Amla (41 not out) comfortably steered the Proteas to their first win of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019.

“We have played four games and they have all been on difficult tracks, on green tracks. But we know that runs can be scored, look at what Australia did against Sri Lanka,” Hashmatullah added.

“I hope the next games will be good for the batting. We are making small mistakes, we have to learn from them.

“We just had a plan to be calm. The first 30 or 35 overs is important and we wanted to take our time and play slowly but in the middle overs we collapsed.

“The way Imran Tahir bowled, he took a wicket with the very first ball. The wicket was not easy for batting, 250 or 260 was a good target.

“But we did not achieve that. Still, we have five games and we will now go and try.”
 
Mirwais Ashraf: Batting improvement vital if Afghanistan want World Cup success

In the next few years, Afghanistan must work on their batting if they are to bridge the gap and improve.

Right now, that’s the difference when you compare them with other teams in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

Batting was always going to be the main problem for Afghanistan, particularly in English conditions, and we still haven’t seen out 40-plus overs in a game, which makes it very tough to achieve.

It’s hard to be competitive when the batting is not clicking. You can’t just depend on fielding and bowling all the time, so that’s where the improvement needs to come.

For me, it all comes down to preparation.

This is a big stage, playing in England against the world’s top sides means the level is very high, so you have to get the preparation just right.

In the last two games, the openers Hazratullah Zazai and Noor Ali Zadran have at least started better, but instead, the collapses have come further down the order.

These are not simple issues to resolve as most are technical, but they are important if Afghanistan are to improve as a cricketing nation.

It’s now about working very hard on skills and shot selection. Mentally, the focus needs to be just right.

Next up for the team is England, and that’s obviously not going to be easy. In my opinion, they are the hot favourites to win the competition just ahead of India.

It’s always tough playing England in English conditions, so it’s about playing good, respected cricket to create a close match.

Beating them here would create history, but to do that it’ll take more than just good bowling.

The conditions, and whether the wicket supports spinners, will be crucial. Equally, Afghanistan must also work hard and show passion for the country.

If these things happen and everyone contributes, maybe then we can make history.

Whatever happens in this World Cup though, the future is still bright for Afghanistan. We have lots of young talent, particularly in the U15 and U19 sides.

In Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, we have talented players who have played all over the globe and can be key to our bright future.

Rashid once again showed against South Africa that he is a very talented all-rounder on top of his spin bowling, which everyone already knows about.

Don’t forget that we are still new to European conditions. Day by day we will improve, and next time we will be better.

© ICC Business Corporation FZ LLC 2019. All rights reserved
 
Spin is Afghanistan’s key to success, claims Naib

Gulbadin Naib claims every game in this World Cup is a learning curve for Afghanistan but he is still backing them to do some damage, especially on spinning pitches.

Afghanistan have lost to Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and South Africa so far at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 to sit bottom of the table and now face hosts England at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

They have failed to bat out their overs in any game so far but a bowling attack including highly-rated spinners Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi have the potential to cause the opposition problems.

And skipper Gulbadin – whose side lost to England by nine wickets in a pre-World Cup warm-up match – is eager to see some turn on the Old Trafford pitch, believing that holds the key to their success.

“We are looking for the spin in every game,” smiled Gulbadin. “But we didn't find spin on the surface.

“If the Old Trafford wicket is like it was when India and Pakistan played on Sunday, the wicket slightly turned, then maybe every team is in trouble against Afghanistan, not only England but the others!

“The spin is key for Afghanistan, in the last three years that’s how we play our cricket – spin provides a high rate of success for the Afghanistan team.

“If there’s a little bit of spin there, maybe it's a good day for Afghanistan.

“Rashid is not like other players who bowl normally, he's an attacking bowler. Every time, he's attacking.

“In the warm-up match, maybe the surface was not suited to him. But if we have the kind of wicket India and Pakistan had, if it turns slightly, then Rashid can make it difficult for every team – not only England.

“Rashid is a key bowler and he's also created a lot of success for Afghanistan; so he's a key part of the Afghanistan team.”

Afghanistan have been travelling around the country so far in this tournament, having played in Bristol, Taunton and Cardiff (twice).

After the clash against England at Old Trafford, they face two consecutive games in Southampton before finishing with a pair of matches in Leeds.

And while Gulbadin says the team have learned plenty on their travels, he is targeting a victory before the World Cup is over.

“We are taking a lot of positives from the four games we played against the other teams,” he added. “It's good cricket and you face tough situations. You face a different kind of wicket and different kind of pitches in every match.

“You can find out a lot of things on those kind of surfaces and in this kind of tournament. We have achieved a lot of things here and now we are trying to achieve others.

“We are hopeful as we look for victories in the matches. We are trying to put in good points here to take from this tournament.

“If you look at our cricket, we are learning a lot of things and we are also trying to bounce back well from defeats. It's a tough format for us.”
 
Cricket World Cup: Afghanistan players in Manchester restaurant altercation

Some members of the Afghanistan squad were involved in an altercation at a Manchester restaurant on Monday, which resulted in the police being called.

It is thought the unnamed players took exception to being filmed and confronted a member of the public.

Greater Manchester Police said officers attended Akbar's restaurant shortly after 23:15 BST. No arrests were made and investigations are ongoing.

England beat Afghanistan on Tuesday in the World Cup match at Old Trafford.

England captain Eoin Morgan hit 17 sixes - a one-day international record - as he made 148 off 71 balls in a 150-run victory.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/amp/cricket/48682483?__twitter_impression=true
 
shaaik said:
Cricket World Cup: Afghanistan players in Manchester restaurant altercation

Some members of the Afghanistan squad were involved in an altercation at a Manchester restaurant on Monday, which resulted in the police being called.

It is thought the unnamed players took exception to being filmed and confronted a member of the public.

Greater Manchester Police said officers attended Akbar's restaurant shortly after 23:15 BST. No arrests were made and investigations are ongoing.

England beat Afghanistan on Tuesday in the World Cup match at Old Trafford.

England captain Eoin Morgan hit 17 sixes - a one-day international record - as he made 148 off 71 balls in a 150-run victory.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/amp/cricket/48682483?__twitter_impression=true
Click to expand...

The Afghanistan captain denied it in his press conference:


Q. We've seen some reports of an incident last night in a restaurant with the team. Can you tell us?
GULBADIN NAIB: No, no, no. No, I haven't, so you ask with my security officer. So I didn't know anything about him -- about them.

Q. You weren't there?
GULBADIN NAIB: No, no.
 
shaaik said:
Cricket World Cup: Afghanistan players in Manchester restaurant altercation

Some members of the Afghanistan squad were involved in an altercation at a Manchester restaurant on Monday, which resulted in the police being called.

It is thought the unnamed players took exception to being filmed and confronted a member of the public.

Greater Manchester Police said officers attended Akbar's restaurant shortly after 23:15 BST. No arrests were made and investigations are ongoing.

England beat Afghanistan on Tuesday in the World Cup match at Old Trafford.

England captain Eoin Morgan hit 17 sixes - a one-day international record - as he made 148 off 71 balls in a 150-run victory.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/amp/cricket/48682483?__twitter_impression=true
Click to expand...

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Gulbadin Naib after being asked questions regarding an alleged incident at a Manchester restaurant "if you ask these kind of questions, I will go" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvAFG?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvAFG</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cwc19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cwc19</a> <a href="https://t.co/MHF9P0qU3E">pic.twitter.com/MHF9P0qU3E</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1141238903753625600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
23 June - Southampton - Afghanistan Captain Gulbadin Naib pre-match press conference

Q. Congratulations on yesterday's performance. Considering that you have already played on this pitch and your performance have improved significantly in the last two matches, you think against Bangladesh this is probably one of your best chances to register a victory?
GULBADIN NAIB: Yeah, we played on this wicket, so it's a similar wicket. But a cricket game is dependent on the presence or how you're playing, especially England conditions. We didn't know about the weather especially. So how's the weather? Yesterday was a good day, a sunny day. It's pretty good for, especially for both sides.

So, yeah, we lost the game, but we did a lot of things good. We did well, but we're trying to do more and more in next game against Bangladesh. Bangladesh now, they're also doing really well, especially in the batting department. They chased 340-something against West Indies. So I think it's one of the best matches or the best innings for the Bangladesh side. So credit goes to them. So how Shakib is doing for his team, I think it's tremendous. It depends on the day. We're looking for tomorrow, so inshallah. Now we're doing better and better day by day. This is a good sign for Afghanistan.

Q. Captain, a couple of questions. Firstly, you guys consider Bangladesh a rival. Is that how you see Bangladesh? And secondly, you've also played -- you yourself have played in the domestic competitions in Bangladesh. There's a lot of other players who have played. How do you see Bangladesh as a rival? Do you think Bangladesh are fearful of your spin attack?
GULBADIN NAIB: Yeah, if you look for Bangladesh cricket, they're doing well the last couple of years. When Mortaza became the captain of Bangladesh, they improved really well in every department. Some countries, like Asia countries, they struggle outside, like Australia, New Zealand, especially in England. I think last four years they showed their skills, especially Bangladesh players, how they improved their skills, especially on the batting side. So I think credit goes to Mortaza. They lead the team really well. Yeah, we played a lot of cricket in Bangladesh domestic, so the structure of domestic cricket in Bangladesh especially is very good. So it's improving day by day, especially the 50-over form there. I played one season. I enjoyed it a lot there. It's quite -- it's really good. This is the cricket, so if you play domestic as well, so automatically your performance coming in a high level at this stage. So the result is now you're seeing the Bangladesh side is really good.

I'm really impressed from the side of Bangladesh, how they're playing, how they start the tournament. So I think now we cannot take it easy with Bangladesh. It's a good side. They proved themselves in this stage. So inshallah, it depends on the day. Like we played yesterday against India, but one thing my team, Afghanistan team is not an easy team. Yeah, we have first four games we played really badly. Last two games everyone knows. So inshallah, we're improving day by day, and maybe tomorrow will be the best day for us, inshallah.

Q. Gulbadin, you've said that you've seen big improvements from your team over the last couple of days. Just give us a pointer as to what you've seen. What changes have you seen in the team? Is it a mental thing or more of a skill thing, do you think?
GULBADIN NAIB: Yeah, because the start of the tournament, I say that you have better side now in top ten teams. Every team is a good side. Every team there is the best side, yeah, we have first four games or three games, we struggle a lot in these conditions, especially where we played. So the surface and the wickets is total difference. We didn't expect it. So the wickets was like that where we played. So it's totally different in the last two games. So it's quite good for us. It's like very good wicket for us especially, so it's like Asian conditions, the ball turning, so last game against India.

But one thing, so the players, everyone just trying to do well, especially the senior players. They have pressure, but every tournament together we're discussing the small, small things. What's wrong? What do we want to do where we can do better? So then we're sitting with everyone and just discussing the issues. I think we're doing well the last two, three games, so inshallah. Everyone wants to do well for their country and do their best for their country. Nobody wants to do bat or wrong anything. So everyone is playing for our country. So they're trying to do well for the country and for the people. I think nothing that much difference here in cricket. The players are playing a lot of cricket all over the world. It's a big stage. Obviously, when you're playing this kind of team, you're under pressure for the first start. So I think now everything is going well now.

Q. Gulbadin, is it going to be the battle of Afghan spinners versus Bangladesh batting?
GULBADIN NAIB: I say it before, Bangladesh start really well in this tournament, but not only on Bangladesh, any one team, like yesterday you saw it against India is the best side. It's the best batting attack all over the world. So if the wicket helps our spinners, so maybe it's very difficult for everyone, not only Bangladesh.

I know Bangladesh also have -- they show their skills now in this tournament, how they played, and they chased 350, 340 against West Indies. So I think credit goes to them. Our spinners are one of the best spin attacks in the world. When wicket suitable for us, it's very difficult, not only for Bangladesh, but for everyone.

I know, inshallah, tomorrow is a new day, and it depends on the day. So we can try to do well and the right thing, so the last two games we did a lot of things good. So Inshallah, we can see tomorrow, Inshallah.

Q. Gulbadin, as you say, Shakib Al Hasan is playing tremendously. How do you think you can stop him?
GULBADIN NAIB: No one can say for anyone that you can stop him or them for all. It depends on the day. Tomorrow is a new day, is a fresh day. So Shakib is not only he played here good cricket, he's also playing a lot of stuff in the back couple of years. So he's one of the best players of Bangladesh. Also, he's playing together with Nabi and Rashid in franchise cricket. He is the best. So it depends on the day. So if tomorrow is his day, so maybe he will play good cricket. So if today is our side, maybe it's very difficult for anyone, not only Shakib.
 
Afghanistan have improved steadily over the past couple of matches and Gulbadin Naib believes his cohort of highly-rated spinners have what it takes to topple the world’s best.

Although yet to win a match, Afghanistan have sparked into life over the past week of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, losing by just 11 runs to fancied India in Southampton on Saturday after an improved showing against England.

Boasting the top-ranked T20 bowler in the world in the form of Rashid Khan as well as the considerable threat of Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Gulbadin’s side restricted a star-studded India attack to just 224 at the Hampshire Bowl – their lowest total of the World Cup so far.

And despite falling just short in their response, the Afghanistan skipper sees cause for optimism from his spinners as the Asian nation seek their first win of the competition against Bangladesh on Monday.

“You saw against India. India has the best batting attack all over the world,” he said.

“So if the wicket helps our spinners, maybe it's very difficult for everyone, not only Bangladesh.

“I know Bangladesh also have showed their skills in this tournament, how they played, and they chased 320 against West Indies.

“Our spinners are one of the best spin attacks in the world.

“When the wicket is suitable for us, it's very difficult, not only for Bangladesh, but for everyone.”

Afghanistan head into the clash against Bangladesh with much greater confidence. Key to the upturn in fortunes has been a Hampshire Bowl wicket conducive to spin, with the Asian team set to play their second successive game in Southampton on Monday.

But as well as the favourable conditions, the Afghan captain also admitted that several team meetings had been held earlier in the tournament to get to the bottom of the slow start.

“We struggled a lot in these conditions in the first three or four games,” he added. “The surface and the wickets are totally different. We didn't expect it.

“It's totally different in the last two games. It's a very good wicket for us especially, so it's like Asian conditions, the ball turning, especially in the last game against India.

“Everyone is just trying to do well, especially the senior players.

“They have pressure, but every tournament together we're discussing the small, small things. What's wrong? What do we want to do to get better?

“So then we're sitting with everyone and just discussing the issues.

“Everyone wants to do well for their country and do their best for their country. It's a big stage.

“Obviously, when you're playing this kind of team, you're under pressure for the fast start.”
 
24 June - Southampton - Afghanistan Captain Gulbadin Naib post-match press conference

Q. Gulbadin, are you still happy with the decision you made at the toss?
GULBADIN NAIB: Yeah, I'm happy with the toss, but I if you look for the match, so we miss some couple of catches and gave some extra runs, like we misfield. Like if you counted around 35, 30 runs, we give it. If you saw that one, so maybe the total is not that much. The wicket is like slow, and it's good for batting. So we look to start well. But praise goes to Shakib. He bowled really well. Because of misfielding we missed the opportunity again.

Q. Captain, do you think 260 was chasable on this wicket?
GULBADIN NAIB: Yeah, if you look for the wicket. So it's chasable. But we won the toss. It's a good thing. But if you look, we start really well. Again, we didn't bowl in the right area in first ten overs, and they scored like 50-something. And after, we realized that it's a chasable score. But one time we -- like I said before, we give it extra runs, like a misfield, some couple of catches. If we count it, it's around 30, 35 runs.

Q. Captain, you had already mentioned about Shakib Al Hasan, but how tremendous was he today with bowling and batting, and do you think he made all the difference?
GULBADIN NAIB: If you look, he's world Number 1 all-rounder. He has a lot of experience, so he took the time on the wicket when he batted. So he batted really well. Also, he bowled really well, according to the plan, and he just -- the wicket is not that much turning for them, especially for Bangladesh bowling, but he bowled in the right areas. So if you look for his bowling spots, he bowled in the right, right spots. So that's why he got the wickets. Also, like myself, so I think we -- the turnaround wicket was my one, so I just pushed the ball and drive it to the fielder's hand. So I think the wicket is not that much difficult for us. It's good for batting. It's slow, but it's good for batting.

Q. There have been quite a few changes in the top order, especially the opening pair. Has the lack of stability affected the team at the top?
GULBADIN NAIB: Yeah, we give the opportunity to Samiullah Shinwari. He also batted really well, but especially we have openers, but they didn't do well (earlier), that's why we give the opportunity to Rahmat Shah. He did really well. He batted ten overs, so he fought really well. But if you look, again, this kind of team, if you look to the total, we did a lot of mistakes in the fielding, especially. We drop a couple of catches. One time we just think this will be chasable because we have nine, ten -- Rashid also batting and Dawlat also capable to hit big shots also. But it's not that much effect when we drop the spinner -- openers, but I think Sami also played good innings. So that's why we give the opportunity to Sami.

Q. Captain, are you a little disappointed with the performance of Rashid Khan? Do you think this was probably one of the matches where he would have bowled better maybe?
GULBADIN NAIB: Yeah, if we look for Rashid, where I want him, like he not doing -- he trying hard. He giving his 100 percent, but if you look for the fielding side, so I'm a little disappointed about the fielding. He's also disappointed about the fielding. One time he's very angry in the field. That's why if you not field well , he also upset. Rashid is one of those players, so he trying in every department, especially in fielding, bowling, and also batting. Again, we give it extra runs, and that's why one time Rashid look very upset in the middle. So I asked him just keep relaxed and just focus on your bowling. So I think he missed his momentum there because of fielding.
 
Mirwais Ashraf: Afghanistan learning valuable lessons every day

This ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup has been tough for Afghanistan but they’ll take every lesson learned and come back stronger in the future.

Performance against India is a big boost for the future

Our bowling is world-class, now we have to bat and field to match

This ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup has been tough for Afghanistan but they’ll take every lesson learned and come back stronger in the future.

There have been some tough moments but I’m still really excited for the future of cricket in the country, we know the interest is huge and we have the players.

We must remember that these are very tough sides and they were never going to be easy for Afghanistan to beat, so the expectation from the nation going into those games was not too high.

Nevertheless, they have done themselves proud with many of their performances, especially that match against India when we got so close. I think it’s important to say that this is a big honour for Afghanistan just to compete at this ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

Afghanistan have just two games left now and we want to try and finish on a high against Pakistan and West Indies, we know how to beat both those teams so there’s no reason to believe we can’t again.

Whatever happens, though, this has been a very good experience for Afghanistan and the team would have learnt a lot from it, so I’m feeling very positive about the future.

I do think it has shown that Afghanistan need to arrange to play more games against the top nations to get that experience – that will be invaluable as we look towards 2023 in India where the conditions will suit our game.

I think if we can get more experience against those top teams and in different conditions around the world, then you will see a big improvement in Afghanistan in four years’ time.

The first thing to improve is our fielding - that’s where we often fall short when you compare the team to the best sides in the world, teams like England, India and Australia.

We saw the difference it made in the match with India.

That game will live long in the memory and hopefully will inspire the players and give belief. To lose by 11 runs to the second best side in the world proves how far we’ve come and why this journey is just beginning.

We know we’ve got world-class bowlers in the likes of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi but batting is still an area where we need work. In one-day cricket you need to confident your team can score 300 runs regularly.

© ICC Business Corporation FZ LLC 2019. All rights reserved
 
Without shehzad this afghan team is pathetic. Only majeeb is good. Rashid khan is overrated.
 
Anybody tired of this "fearless aggression" trope, all these authors are just overly exotifying the Afghans.
 
World Cup has provided Afghanistan with a valuable learning experience, says Samiullah

Results have not gone their way, but Afghanistan have been learning from their losses through the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

Batsman Samiullah Shinwari, who top-scored with a perky 49 not out from 51 balls against Bangladesh at the Hampshire Bowl, insists there are still positives to be taken from the tournament.

Having made his debut a decade ago he ranks among the most experienced members of the improving group, but wants more fixtures against the oldest Test-playing nations for the team to continue to move forward.

Samiullah said: “We have learnt a lot from the senior teams like Australia, New Zealand and England, but our weakness is that we haven’t played against them in ODIs since the last World Cup four years ago.

“If we could play them more often, things would gradually become easier for us. We are looking forward to playing them so we can learn more.”

Afghanistan have two more opportunities to open their account when they take on Pakistan at Headingley on Saturday before facing West Indies at the same ground five days later.

“We want to make our fans happy,” Samiullah said. “They expect a lot. We try our best, but unfortunately, we have not always played well.

“Our target was the Asian teams, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. We have taken some teams close, against India we were very close and did very well. We were happy with that performance.

“I think our fans will be disappointed both at home and in England, but playing in the grounds is different to the way it seems on television. It is difficult, but hopefully we can still get a win.”

Shinwari agreed with captain Gulbadin Naib in attributing the latest 62-run loss first and foremost to lax work in the field.

“We gave away 30 or 35 extra runs,” Samiullah admitted. “Our bowling was good, but Bangladesh batted very well, especially Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim.

“Then when we batted we lost three or four wickets early, Shakib then went on to take five wickets because he is a very good cricketer who is doing especially well at the moment.”

Samiullah arrived at number six at a particularly testing period after Shakib had removed Naib and Mohammad Nabi within the space of three balls, forcing the innings to enter a phase of consolidation.

As wickets continued to fall, Shinwari sought to play more aggressively and showed some of the shots that have placed him in Afghanistan’s all-time top-five runs scorers in the ODI game.

“Looking at the tournament overall it has been a valuable experience,” he reflected. “We have played on different pitches in different conditions. We have faced some outstanding players and hopefully we can build on that afterwards.”

ICC media release
 
Gulbadin blames Afghanistan’s fielding for defeat by Bangladesh

Afghanistan skipper Gulbadin Naib insisted his side’s fielding – and not the stunning individual effort of Shakib Al Hasan – made the difference in Bangladesh’s 62-run win on Monday.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman and skipper Gulbadin combined to take five wickets at the Hampshire Bowl, having won the toss and limiting Bangladesh to 262/7 from their 50 overs.

Shakib made 51 for Bangladesh who are still chasing a semi-final spot while Mushfiqur Rahim also notched a half century but Afghanistan were error-prone in the field, Dawlat Zadran dropping a simple chance in the gully.

Shakib then claimed the best figures of this ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup with 5/29 as Afghanistan were knocked over for 200 to leave the captain frustrated.

“We missed a couple of catches and gave some extra runs, 30-40 runs we gave and if we stop that. It was a slow wicket and good for batting,” he said.

“Shakib bowled really well but the mis-fields mean that we have missed an opportunity again.

“We won the toss which was a good thing and we started really well. We didn’t bowl in the right areas in the first ten overs but we soon realised it would be a chaseable score.”

Gulbadin is now Afghanistan’s leading wicket taker at this tournament with nine and also made an impressive 47 at the top of the order.

But Rashid Khan was held wicketless, leaving Gulbadin to spring to his star-spinner's defence.

“Rashid is where I want him, he is trying hard and giving 100 percent,” he added.

“But if you look at the fielding side, he is also disappointed about the fielding, one time he is angry with the fielders, then the bowlers are upset.

“We gave extra runs. He missed his moment because of the fielding.”

Gulbadin was one of Shakib’s five victims in their reply of 200 – and the Afghan skipper admitted patience had made all the difference.

“He is the world No.1 all-rounder so he has a lot of experience,” he added.

“He took his time in the middle with the wicket when he batted. He batted really well and also bowled really well according to the plan.

“The wicket was not turning that much, especially for Bangladesh’s bowling, but he bowled in the right areas. He bowled in the right spots and that’s why he got the wickets.”

ICC media release
 
The International Cricket Council has confirmed that the Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 has approved Sayed Ahmad Shirzad as a replacement player for Aftab Alam in Afghanistan’s squad for the remainder of the tournament.
Bowler Alam has been replaced under exceptional circumstances.

ICC Media Release
 
MenInG said:
The International Cricket Council has confirmed that the Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 has approved Sayed Ahmad Shirzad as a replacement player for Aftab Alam in Afghanistan’s squad for the remainder of the tournament.
Bowler Alam has been replaced under exceptional circumstances.

ICC Media Release
Click to expand...

This might explain the reason


Fast bowler Aftab Alam has been sent back from England following his breach of ICC's disciplinary code of conduct. He will be replaced by Pacer Said Ahmad Sherzad who was in the reserved players list in Afghanistan's World Cup squad. Sherzad will travel to England tomorrow and his inclusion is approved by ICC's Event Technical Committee (ETC)

The decision to send Alam back from England has been taken under exceptional circumstances taking into account both ICC and ACB's code of conduct rules and regulations. The decision stops Alam from further participating in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 as he will be under investigation by ACB for the alleged misconduct off the field.
 
It wasn’t supposed to end like this for Hamid Hassan, a totemic figure in Afghanistan’s rise towards the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019.

But in his final ODI, the retiring seamer hobbled off with a hamstring injury, unable to bowl more than two overs as Afghanistan slipped to a heartbreaking three-wicket loss to Pakistan.

Hassan, who leaves the stage with 59 wickets from 37 matches, was crushed by his enforced withdrawal and felt he could have got his side over the line at Headingley.

“It wasn’t my wish to go out like this, to be honest,” said the 32-year-old.

“Of course I was looking forward to winning the game for the team. I was very, very keen and very happy. I was playing my last ODI and in a very good mood.

“I bowled very well in the first over and wanted to keep going but I don’t know what happened. My hamstring was totally gone, I feel like it’s something broken inside of my hamstring.

“Maybe I got overexcited, I don’t know. I was very excited and pumped up.

“I felt very emotional because the team missed me a lot and the ball was also reversing. The situation would have changed.

“Now I have to say goodbye to ODI cricket. I might play Twenty20 cricket for one or two years and then finish my career.”

Hassan became the first Afghan player to run out at Lord’s in June 2007 and featured in the ICC Cricket World Cup qualifiers all the way back in 2009.

The bowler played a part in Afghanistan’s first-ever World Cup win over Scotland back in 2015 but they remain winless after eight matches in the 2019 tournament.

Hassan, who has taken one wicket in five matches, felt his team’s bowling performances have been outstanding and that it’s with the willow his country must look to progress.

“It has not been easy for us,” he said.

“There were three matches we could have won and plenty of opportunities to get a victory. If you give good teams a chance, they will take advantage.

“The batting must improve, because the bowling has been exceptional throughout the tournament.

“We restricted Sri Lanka and kept Bangladesh to 260 after they scored over 300 in every single game. Apart from England, we have bowled really well.”

ICC Media Release
 
*3 July - Leeds - Afghanistan Captain Gulbadin Naib pre-match press conference*

Q. Gulbadin, as the pitches have got a bit dryer, seems like your team's come into its own a little bit. Do you think that helps with all the extra spinners that you have?
GULBADIN NAIB: Yeah, you saw the last game. So for spinners, they bowled really well, and the wicket is suitable for our spinners. So as the wicket tomorrow, same like last one, so maybe it's very difficult for them. But if we bowl the right areas, so that would be the key point, and hopeful tomorrow will be the same wicket like the last one we played against Pakistan.

Q. Coming into this tournament did you think you'd get more wickets like the game the other day, or did you expect -- obviously no one expected this much rain, but did you expect it to spin more in the UK?
GULBADIN NAIB: Yeah, because at the start of the tournament the wicket was very difficult. The wickets we played first three games, just totally different. So we didn't realize like this kind of pitches we can find like in the upcoming games like now and also against Pakistan. So first we think different. Now it's totally different wicket. So we didn't expect in England these kind of pitches especially, but now I think it's because of weather. So sunny weather now. The weather is lovely weather now. So I think the ground staff have a lot of time to make the wicket. So I think that's the reason. So, yeah, it's a very good wicket for tomorrow, especially for us and the strength of Afghanistan's spinners. So hopeful, so tomorrow we can make the day for, we are waiting.

Q. You've come really close to winning quite a few games in this tournament so far. What do you think you need to do as a team to turn that from being a close win to an actual win in the game tomorrow?
GULBADIN NAIB: Yeah, we played last four, five games quite well. I'm happy with the performance of the team. But we missed in the last, for the last game we played against Pakistan and especially like Bangladesh, because we played really well. But tomorrow, yeah, if we played -- like every time I'm saying that, so if we played 50 overs, especially in the batting, so it's all depending on our batting strength. So if you've not batted well, maybe it's difficult for all bowlers to defend a small total.

So if you put a good total on the board, it's difficult for the other team. So this kind of surface is -- turning surfaces like the strength of spinners. So hopefully tomorrow we can, especially for the batters, so they will put a good total on the board, so maybe it's easy for us to win the game. So West Indies is one of the sides, just a side, so nobody expected how they played. Also they played really good matches. But, it's cricket, so sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But it's a World Cup match so every game is very important for everyone.

Q. You just said that spinners are Afghanistan's strength. But on the other side do you think that because all these spinners coming in and how successful they've been, Afghanistan is not able to produce, say, fast bowlers as many, because you've used so many different fast bowlers? All the kids coming in want to be the next Rashid or the next Mujeeb. Is there a problem in that sense that nobody wants to become the next Hamid Hassan, for example?
GULBADIN NAIB: Good question. If you look forward cricket last two, three years, we're just depending on spinners. We played a lot of cricket in Sharjah especially and Dehradun in India. So we all depend on the spinners, especially when Mujeeb joined the team in qualifying round before he played a series against Ireland. So he bowled really well. But now the problem is here, so if you have two spinners like Rashid and Mujeeb, and Mujeeb also -- I'm not saying every time, I'm not thinking about the spinners, he also bowled too fast. It's like a medium pacers. So it's very difficult to pick them. So if you have work on the fast bowlers in the last two, three years, so maybe we have a good pacers now in this tournament. So this is a problem. So we didn't find and we didn't work in the fast bowlers department last two, three years. We all worked on the spinners, so that's why we have world-class spinners. So if you find -- make two, three, good fast bowlers in the past three, two years, so maybe it will be good to us here in the World Cup. So now struggling here in the fast bowling department, especially last game, we missed Hamid Hassan, his injury. It's a big turning point for me.

So spinners doing their job but sometimes they didn't give you a hundred percent in the match. So it depends on the wickets. Example is Rashid Khan, he is one of the best spinners in the world recently. But the wickets sometimes he didn't expecting the ball turning or not turning. The wicket is totally flat. But he's trying to give his 100 percent but it's not going in his favour. But credit goes to Mujeeb. He comes back really well last three, four games. So he bowled really well. And also Rashid bowled really well the last two, three games. So hopefully in the future we can find a good fast bowler. And I'm hoping so I'll be working on it. So insha'Allah, we'll be making the plan in the future, insha'Allah.

Q. Piggybacking to last game against Afghanistan. You obviously bowled yourself at the end. If you had that time again would you still bowl that over?
GULBADIN NAIB: Yes, because if you look, we missed Hamid Hassan. He bowled only two overs. If I have Hamid in the last overs, so maybe I just only bowl three or four, five overs -- only five, four overs. Like we also have a spinner option -- Sami and also Rahmat, they're also good spinners.

But you saw Samiullah Shinwari bowl really well. He complete the place of Hamid Hassan. So the eight overs, we, like Hamid Hassan remaining, then he bowled really well. But the wicket is totally slow. If I have Hamid in the last, for two or three overs, maybe it's very difficult for Pakistan side.

So Hamid is a very hard bowler. He's very quick, he's a 140-plus bowler. So, but it's bad luck for me, for my team. So we missed him. So if I have -- of course, I bowled last -- in every match I bowled 10 overs, eight overs like this. This way I bowled in the end, I just -- I have no option. So only me as a fast bowling department. This way I bowled in the end, but he did bowl really well. The luck is on the other side; it's bad luck for us.
 
Gulbadin challenges batsmen to steer Afghanistan to first win

Afghanistan have come very close to a maiden win at this World Cup but skipper Gulbadin Naib has told the batsmen it is their responsibility if the team is to break that duck.

The Afghans take on the West Indies at Headingley in their final match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, having lost in the final over against Pakistan, and by just 11 runs to India.

They also pushed Bangladesh hard before collapsing to a 62-run loss and Gulbadin has urged the team to produce a complete performance against the West Indies to get over the line.

He said: “We played the last four or five games quite well. I'm happy with the performance of the team.

“But we lacked something late on, for the last game we played against Pakistan and especially against Bangladesh because we played really well.

“As I say each time, we have to play 50 overs, especially in the batting. It all depends on our batting strength. If we don’t bat well, it's difficult for our bowlers to defend a small total.

“So if you put a good total on the board, it's difficult for the other team. Hopefully our batsmen will do that, so maybe it's easy for us to win the game.”

Gulbadin readily admits that his team are paying for their lack of fast bowlers, particularly with Hamid Hassan ruled out of the final match through injury.

But as the tournament has gone on, their spinners have come into their own, particularly Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who took 2/34 against Pakistan from ten overs.

And Gulbadin believes the slow, dry tracks that have been on show in the latter stages of the tournament can help his team against an aggressive Windies batting line-up.

He added: “The spinners bowled really well in the last game, and the wicket is suitable for our spinners. If the wicket is the same as the last one, maybe it will be very difficult for them.

“We have to bowl in the right areas, that is the key point, and hopefully it will be a similar wicket to the last one we played against Pakistan.

“At the start of the tournament the wickets were very difficult. The wickets we played in the first three games were just totally different.

“I think it's because of weather. It is very sunny now. It's a very good wicket for this game, especially for us and the strength of Afghanistan's spinners.”
 
Afghanistan bow out of the World Cup but Ikram and Mujeeb give them hope for the future

Ikram Ali Khil top scored for Afghanistan with 86 runs from 93 balls

Afghanistan were beaten in their final match of this World Cup by West Indies by 23 run

Two 18-year-old Afghanistan cricketers gave their exuberant fans a glimpse of a potentially golden future during a spirited if ultimately unsuccessful assault on two-time champions West Indies.

On a balmy Headingley day, Ikram Ali Khil, called in to the team as a replacement for injured wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad and whose previous highest score in a one-day international was just 24, stroked 86 from 93 balls with eight boundaries.

He helped Rahmat Shah add 133 for the second wicket and what had seemed an unattainable victory target of 312 during a competition looked at least possible during their partnership.

They eventually fell short but their final score of 288 all out was their highest in a World Cup, exceeding the 247/8 against England.

After arriving in England for the warm-up match, Ikram was thrown immediately into the deep end, batting in six different positions in nine matches.

But from his arrival at the crease at No.3 against West Indies after an early wicket had fallen cheaply, Ikram looked anything but a novice against some admittedly often monotonously one-paced West Indian bowling on a pitch offering little to the faster bowlers.

The compact left-hander punched the ball fiercely off the back foot through the off-side, moved swiftly into position to drive crisply off the front and was quick to punish anything short, on the stumps, swivelling on the balls of his feet with a series of robust pulls.

Realising his quick bowlers were getting nowhere, Jason Holder did what so many captains have done throughout the competition and turned to a slow bowler, in this case Chris Gayle who responded with six economical overs - including the crucial wicket of Ikram.

Earlier, Mujeeb Rahman, the 18-year-old right-arm spinner who was the first international player born in the 21st century, confirmed he can already be considered one of his country’s premier bowlers since his recall to the team after missing World Cup group matches against New Zealand and South Africa.

Although he did not take a wicket against West Indies, Mujeeb finished the tournament with seven wickets at 37 apiece after opening the bowling for the fourth consecutive game.

Before the West Indies’ match, Mujeeb had conceded only 4.3 runs an over, the best economy rate for a spinner in the tournament who had bowled at least 20 overs.

By contrast, leg-spinner Rashid Khan, the team’s leading spinner, took six expensive wickets at 69 runs each.

As Gayle limbered up after Holder had won the toss, Mujeeb was the obvious choice to take the first over after previously dismissing the big left-hander twice in seven deliveries at the cost of just two runs.

Gayle treated the teenager, 21 years his junior, with almost theatrical respect throughout the opening four-over spell, but threw his wicket away soon afterwards with a flat-footed slash and was caught behind for seven.

Mujeeb’s initial spell cost 13 runs with two boundaries. He was brought back for two further overs which went for only six, then became captain Gulbadin Naib’s bowling ninth change with an over which yielded only one.

Thirty-two runs came off three overs as the West Indies cut loose in in the final 10 but his final figures of 10-0-52-0 were in respectable in an innings of 311.

For Afghanistan, whose only World Cup victory came over Scotland four years ago, the West Indies were at least familiar opponents, as they had beaten them in three of their last four completed encounters, including last year’s final of the World Cup qualifiers in Harare.
 
4 July - Leeds - Afghanistan Captain Gulbadin Naib post-match press conference

Q. Ikram Ali Khil had a very good game today. Can you tell us what is the way forward for him as a batsman? It was his first tournament, possibly getting a bit more power as a batsman?
GULBADIN NAIB: Yeah, he played really well. So he has done his job. But he missed a century for the World Cup, it was a big achievement for anyone. So he's a youngster, he's a youngster player now. He played a lot of cricket back home last two, three years. So also he played good cricket and Under-19 World Cup so this is why we gave the opportunity to him. He proved himself now. This is the thing I want, because I give the chance for a youngster. So they come forward. And after two, three years it will be much better for the team and for the country. So this way we have more talent in Afghanistan. So not only Ali Khil, you have a lot of talent in Afghanistan. Insha'Allah, hope this kind of performance they did, like Ikram did, and I hope for other guys, insha'Allah, they will be, if you give the chance to them they'll be proving themselves.

Q. Obviously you've come to this tournament and so many people want Afghanistan to do well, not just from your nation but around the world, in the cricket world. But as cricketers and professionals, how disappointed are you to leave with no wins?
GULBADIN NAIB: I'm really disappointed for the performance especially for the team. Like if you look for each and every game, for my game, for Afghanistan team, so we did a lot of mistakes. It looks like not an Afghanistan team. So like we're playing our natural cricket, how we played last two, three years, but I didn't see it here. I don't know why, did not put themselves on the ground. But we learn a lot of things here. So I'm not happy with the team performance, especially for the boys' performance. Like we have big names on the team, but they didn't utilise their self on the ground especially. But obviously, if we are here -- when you are here. So everyone just the hope is expecting a lot for Afghanistan cricket. They will show the world how we beat the teams, the big teams. But we did well in the end, so last five games, four games we did quite well. So I look for the last four, five games, we did well. But it's a big game, big team. So every team has prepared really well. They came here for the World Cup. And also we are hoping for that. So when we are here -- so we are also hoping for a win for three games here. But unfortunately we didn't. But we learned a lot of things here especially. From my side, I learned a lot of things here.

Q. You talked about some big players. Rashid Khan, do you think there's sort of left a lot to be desired considering so much was expected of him coming into the tournament?
GULBADIN NAIB: If you look at the other players, for the other countries, players like Shakib, especially Finch or Bairstow, the other players, they start really well for this tournament. So this way his morale and confidence is really high. But you have big names on the team like Najib, Rashid, Mujeeb. One time Mujeeb, first three games he's really upset, didn't put 100 percent. Of course he have some problem, his actions. So then he prove himself in the last four, five games. But Rashid and Najib, everyone just expecting for them especially, so like how we played our last two, three years cricket. Especially Rashid have like 60 percent winning percentage on our team. Every game he has 50, 60 percent on the team. But I'm also expecting a lot for him. But it's cricket. So he gives 100 percent on the ground. But it's bad luck, you can say. Sometimes like (indiscernible) sometimes missed umpire decision, sometimes catches dropped. But if you look at the performance for three, four games, we did well, but it's not enough from here. Like if you beat these kind of teams in this kind of tournament, so you should be prepared really well and in each and every department.

Not like only we have big names, it's not like -- it's big names of cricket here. Especially who is doing well on the ground, who is doing 100 percent on the ground, here on this match, on this day. So I'm happy, like, how we played the last four games. So it's cricket. So you cannot say anything.

Q. You spoke about making a lot of mistakes and about learning as a captain. Do you think you've probably learned about what your batting order should be right now because you jumbled it up quite a bit? Ikram batted at 8, 9, 4, 3 and even Najib has batted down and up.
GULBADIN NAIB: Because I accept this captaincy, this is the World Cup. So if you look properly, we didn't give the chance for every player for a fixed position like in the batting order. But if you look for the players, nobody just -- like me especially, I'm batting No. 7 or 6 or 8. I just jump the last four, five games. It's a team requirement. We looked for the team, so we didn't give a chance for the seniors who batted in the middle order. That's why we're just going up and down and sometimes we give the chance for the bowlers we miss openers. So we have -- like it's not like we give it up -- it's not like a position game, like when you say it's a mind game. Cricket is ultimately a mind game. If you play with the will and big hearts, it's nothing easy on the ground. It's just on your heart, how you play on the ground, how you control your nerves and pressure on the ground. So the position, it's just a number. So if you go on -- like if I'm doing well in the opener -- I didn't play -- bowled like in the last 12 years, I opened the batting in qualifying in Zimbabwe. I'm here. It's a team requirement. If you play with a big heart, any position is good on you. It's not a big problem for anyone.

Q. You came close to winning at least two, three games, India and Pakistan games, even today. So now that the tournament, campaign is over, looking back, you think which were the games you should have won and which are the toughest teams you have faced? And do you have a favourite?
GULBADIN NAIB: First three games we played really badly. I accepted it, like against -- we played first game, Australia, we did well against Australia and also New Zealand, against Sri Lanka. We also have target -- the Sri Lanka match. But one thing -- especially I learned a lot of things here, because it's not easy to beat any one team, so -- because we beat some teams in the Asia Cup, so everyone is expecting a lot for Afghanistan, but because the thing has changed really quickly. Yeah, you target some games here like against Sri Lanka, Pakistan game. Like we played quite well against India. And also against West Indies. But if you look for the teams who -- I'm not happy with the team performance, like, nobody gave his 100 percent for the team, for the country. It's not like -- professional cricket life, you play professional cricket, you should be, each and every department you will be fit and 100 percent. You will go well on the ground. Especially the fitness is a big issue for our team. So if you're not fit, so nothing is -- nothing will go well on you. So the fitness issues I have a lot -- I learned a lot of things here, especially, insha'Allah, after this tournament, our World Cup campaign is finished, we have a lot of things in Afghanistan. We have a lot of cricket there. So we should improve our cricket. We should improve our skills. So we should improve every department now in cricket. So hope -- so, insha'Allah -- it's cricket. Yes, we played really badly here. I'm really upset for the performance. But we did well. We didn't give 100 percent for how the people, how the audience expected from Afghanistan. So I say sorry for my fans, for my country, for my audience, because especially we didn't give our 100 percent.

Q. What is your second favourite team after Afghanistan?
GULBADIN NAIB: India. India is my favourite team.

Q. I think at the end you had an exchange with Chris Gayle. I think you bowed at his feet. Can you just sum up how big he is for cricket and -- it's his last World Cup game, can you sum it up?
GULBADIN NAIB: Yeah, I talked to Chris Gayle, I said to him, you didn't say -- in the start of the match, you said last game. So we gave honour to you. So because you're not like -- you're the legend player of West Indies; you did well for your country, for your people, especially you have a big name. So you should tell us -- we didn't know about it. So I said -- then he said, no, it's my last World Cup; it's not my retirement. I said, oh, playing, coming up 10 years more? (Laughter).

So second question for, yeah, big stage, big tournament and also big teams here. So I'm happy for that. So one of them, Afghanistan, top 10 teams. And also good luck for Afghanistan team; they played well here. But cricket is not finishing after this World Cup. We learned a lot of things here. So we should work on it, if we want to improve ourselves, improve cricket. So everybody just looks from here. So they do well here. Once they give, as like what are the positive things here they should take from here and they work on it. So, yeah, we did well, but like I'm not happy for the performance of the team, of how the people expected. But we learned a lot of things here.

Q. As a captain, how do you look at Afghanistan in the next World Cup?
GULBADIN NAIB: We achieved a lot of things in very short time, in very short time. So it's cricket. Sometimes you -- like after the World Cup it's not the end of our cricket. Like Afghanistan, nothing after the World Cup. But we proved here, cricket here, like we played good cricket here, like, the last five games. We have shown against India and Bangladesh and Pakistan especially and as of today we played really good cricket here. But in the middle, we missed it. So this is the thing.

But, insha'Allah, I'm hoping Afghanistan will be in the next World Cup, upcoming, two, three years Afghanistan be the top five, six, insha'Allah we look forward. But we learn a lot of things. We take positive things from here. So if you take positive things from here and when you make mistakes, everybody learns from their mistakes. We did a lot of mistakes. We should learn from that. So, insha'Allah, we'll be looking forward. I'm hoping so. We'll be due in upcoming years.

Q. You've obviously been involved with Afghanistan cricket for a long time, going back to travelling to places like Jersey and those sorts of places. They've had a few really good tournaments in that time. Is this the most disappointing one because you expected the most?
GULBADIN NAIB: Yeah, you mentioned Jersey for the Afghanistan team. The time I'm just 16 years, I'm quite young joining the team. The last 21 years, in my career, especially, I faced a lot of good days or bad days in my life. But in my life I never looked back. I just looked forward and what -- like we play a lot of cricket, a lot of tournaments, bad tournaments, good tournaments. Like also the last year when we're playing a qualifying round against Zimbabwe. So especially in the first three, four games we played really bad cricket there. So then after we jumped, like, then we won the tournament and we qualified for the World Cup. And, yeah, now Afghanistan is a full member team and we have a test status. So we have a lot of cricket now. Now on those days when we have like divisions, or just cricket depend on one division, or if you win the division, then you go to the other division. So now we have -- obviously I had a lot of trouble in cricket in my life when I was on the team, or not on the team, when I was on the tour also I perform. But next I beat the performance. But it's the life, everything is coming. But I'm never looking back in my life. I'm just looking forward and then focusing my career and focusing my cricket. I'm not saying anything -- people are saying a lot of things, especially here now. But I'm not looking for them because I'm here for Afghanistan, for my team. So however I'm giving 100 percent for my team, for my country, so I'll be here. So we have a lot of talent back home.

So, but everyone is hoping for good. And also I'm trying to do good for my team, for my country, how I played last 10, 11 years for my country. Insha'Allah, hoping how much cricket is left in my life, so I will play for my country.
 
Afghanistan fast bowler Aftab Alam suspended for one year

Afghanistan fast bowler Aftab Alam has been handed a one-year suspension by the country's cricket board for a code of conduct violation at the ongoing World Cup in England and Wales.

The decision to suspend Alam from domestic and international cricket for one year came after an investigation by the Afghanistan Cricket Board's disciplinary committee, following a decision taken at the board's annual general meeting in Kabul last week.

During the course of the World Cup, Alam was sent back home, and an official release mentioned that it was done 'in exceptional circumstances'. However, it later emerged that he was sent home following allegations of serious misbehaviour with a female guest at the team hotel in Southampton.

Alam played his last game on June 22 in Afghanistan's 11-run loss to India in Southampton, where the alleged incident of misbehaviour is said to have taken place.

The 26-year-old was then, subsequently, suspended for two matches by head coach Phil Simmons for not being present at an ICC anti-corruption unit meeting on June 23. It later emerged that Alam was in London with a relative and returned to the hotel only later in the day.

The right-arm pacer had three wickets to his name at the World Cup before he was summoned back home.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=TOIDesktop
 
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