Former Afghan captain Ashgar Afghan heaps praise on Rashid Khan and the team's exposure to difficult wickets for their unprecedented success in the T20 World Cup.
Afghanistan's cricket team has taken the cricketing world by storm, qualifying for their first-ever T20 World Cup semi-final. This achievement is largely attributed to the inspirational leadership of captain Rashid Khan, according to former skipper Ashgar Afghan.
"I feel Rashid has been the captain of the tournament," Ashgar said. "He has led by example. He has been an inspirational captain, a match-winner with the ball, and very effective with the bat."
Highlighting Khan's ability to get the best out of his teammates, Ashgar Afghan points out, "This has been one of the major reasons of Afghanistan
Besides Khan's exceptional leadership, Ashgar credits the team's consistent exposure to international cricket and leagues worldwide. "They have been playing in very difficult wickets and that has given them the knowledge, experience and technical know-how to deal with tough wickets in the USA and the Caribbean," he explained.
The success of Afghanistan's opening partnership also plays a key role, according to Ashgar. "They are the most successful opening pair of the tournament scoring a maximum number of runs," he said, acknowledging Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran's contribution.
Afghanistan's bowling attack is another area of strength. "Farooqi, Naveen, and Rashid have taken 45 wickets combined. This is amazing," Ashgar said. He emphasized the impact of their bowlers, particularly pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi, who leads the wicket-takers list with 17 wickets.
Ashgar believes Afghanistan is a dangerous team with the potential to cause more upsets. "This team is looking very dangerous and has the potential to pull up more victories and stun the world," he concluded.
