Afghanis growing too big for small pond
World T20 Minnows Guide: Afghanistan
ICC T20 World Ranking: 11th
The Inside Word
Afghanistan were comprehensively beaten in the WT20 Qualifying tournament final, their bowlers no match for the brute force of Ireland’s top order.
Having said that, their main man with the ball, Samiullah Shenwari, had a shocker and, as they have shown in the recent 50-over World Cup qualifiers, they are soon becoming a big minnow in a small pond.
Look out for the underrated Afghani quicks to rattle a few stumps in Dhaka.
The Trivia
– Cricket first became popular with Afghani refugees residing in Pakistan and they brought the game back with them upon their return.
– In 2000, cricket became the first (and only) sport approved by the ruling Taliban.
– In 2013, following a decade of gradual development, Afghanistan were awarded ICC associate membership.
The Schedule
March 16 v Bangladesh
March 18 v Hong Kong
March 20 v Nepal
The Road to Bangladesh
Made it all the way to the qualifying tournament final, only to be beaten by Ireland in a big way. Up until then, they’d looked a class above most opposition.
The Squad
Mohammad Nabi (captain), Asghar Stanikzai, Dawlat Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid Hassan, Hamza Hotak, Karim Sadiq, Mirwais Ashraf, Najibullah Taraki, Najibullah Zadran, Nawroz Mangal, Samiullah Shenwari, Mohammad Shahzad, Shafiqullah, Shapoor Zadran
The Key Man
Samiullah Shenwari – What a tournament Shenwari had in the UAE. The right-arm leggy picked up 16 wickets at 5.28, placing him equal third on the tournament wicket-taker list. He averaged a wicket every nine balls!
What makes this performance even more amazing is that he only managed 0-22 off his two overs in the final against Ireland.
The Wild Card
Mohammed ‘Shazam’ Shahzad – This is a man who can literally go from the first ball – which he did against Ireland in the Qualifier final, launching the far-from-middling Max Sorenson over deep mid-wicket for six first up.
Shahzad was the highest run-scorer for Afghanistan in the tournament, averaging 33.85 at a strike rate of 158, in the process striking twice as many boundaries as any of his teammates.
If ‘Shazam’ gets going in Dhaka; expect some fireworks.
The Prediction
Super Ten – Afghanistan is a team on the rise, as they’ve shown in the lead-up matches. If they can cause an upset and knock over Bangladesh in the first game, don’t be surprised to see them stroll into the Super Ten stage.
Our ongoing guide to Group Stage teams