After his pivotal 4-17, Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan hails dominant 84-run win v NZ as one of their best outings; says outcomes take care of themselves in focussed team
Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan (second from left) celebrates dismissing New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson with teammates at Providence Stadium in Georgetown on Friday. Pic/Getty Images
Rashid Khan always wanted his teammates to have faith in their own abilities instead of fretting over their opposition’s strengths and he was ecstatic that it’s exactly what they did during Afghanistan’s memorable 84-run victory over New Zealand in the T20 World Cup game here.
Defending 159, Afghanistan shot out New Zealand for 75 with left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi and the skipper himself decimating the opposition with four wickets apiece.
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Energy, the key
“Now, we need to beat the teams with our own skills rather than think about the opposition and that’s the only thing I have been telling the guys like just make sure we look into our skills,” Rashid said during the post-match presentation ceremony.
For Rashid, it is the effort that matters more than the results as he believes that if a team are good enough, results take care of themselves. “It doesn’t matter whoever we play, it’s more about how good you are, how good you’re going to play and what type of energy you are coming with into the ground and that for me is very important.
“I don’t care about the result a lot to be honest. I care more about the effort we put, that’s something which gives me lots of pleasure,” he added.
In the last year’s ODI World Cup, Afghanistan famously stunned England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, while in the 2016 T20 World Cup, they secured a memorable win over eventual champions West Indies.
“We haven’t had those victories in T20 World Cups. We had in ODI, but in T20, I feel like this was one of the best performance from the guys,” said the skipper who starred in his masterful bowling act of 4-17.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz blasted 80 from 56 deliveries while fellow opener Ibrahim Zadran added 44 from 41 to give them a flying start. In reply, left-arm seamer Farooqi, who claimed five wickets against Uganda on Monday, grabbed 4-17 from just 3.2 overs, matching his skipper’s bowling figures.
Solid start by Gurbaz, Zadran
“It’s not just about a single guy...it’s a great team effort, the way Gurbaz and Ibrahim started the innings,” Rashid said.
For Afghans, cricket is their biggest source of joy and Rashid was thankful to the fans. “They don’t miss our games. We play at 3am, 4am or 1am, they’re always up. Not only in Afghanistan, all around the world, wherever they are, they’re going to watch the game. They don’t miss the game.
“Cricket is the biggest source of happiness back home. And I’m very sure this will give them so much to enjoy, to celebrate this victory,” he said.
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