Asia Cup 2022 is going well with two games already completed. The first game between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka ended with a dominating win for Afghanistan over Sri Lanka. And the much-hyped clash between India and Pakistan sided with India in a thriller. India clinched the thriller with a blazing performance of Hardik Pandya, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and amazing anchoring by Ravindra Jadeja.
After a day’s silence, today’s clash between Afghanistan and Bangladesh will go on the floors within just hours. And with its last win over Lankans, Afghanistan is the favorite to win this game. And if Afghanistan wins this one, they’ll become the first to book their spot in the playoffs among the top 4. The majestic spinner, Rashid Khan opened up about the team’s performance and how the youngsters are adding to the value of the game.
Rashid Khan opens up ahead of the match against Bangladesh
Secured the 𝕎 last night 🇦🇫💪
Thank you for your support as always onto the next challenge 👊#AsiaCup #SLvAFG #AsiaCup2022 pic.twitter.com/BfQqJoKT5s
— Rashid Khan (@rashidkhan_19) August 28, 2022
“We have more youngsters now than before,” Rashid said. “Most of the guys enjoy this short format. We are playing in Sharjah after a long time, but at the same time, our cricket remains the same. We know our roles. We are playing Bangladesh away for the first time since Dehradun, so it has been four years. At the same time, whoever plays better cricket and controls their nerve in the big game, they will do the best. As a team, we will prepare well and go with a fresh mind and enjoy the cricket.”
Rashid also noted the importance of opportunities to play across the world in domestic leagues like the IPL amidst the shortage of games for the Afghanistan team. “We don’t play a lot of longer format cricket,” he said. “It is about the FTP, and not in the players’ hands. We want to play a lot of international cricket, so that our youngsters can understand the environment to improve their skills. Since we play a lot of international leagues, it gives us the opportunity to learn from the best players. We bring that experience to the international team. We share that with the rest of the team.”
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“Specially in the batting department it helps if we play more international leagues. If there’s international duty, you have to be present. It is always first priority. But we are hopeful of playing more international games in the coming years.”
Afghanistan will not gauge Bangladesh lightly
Afghan wizard @rashidkhan_19 seems highly confident about facing Bangladesh tonight in Abu Dhabi.
He congrats Shakib Al Hasan, who will be playing his 100th T20I tonight. #AsiaCup2022 #AsiaCup #AFGvsBAN #RashidKhan pic.twitter.com/oJ7NVfBg1i
— OneCricket (@OneCricketApp) August 30, 2022
Moreover, Khan also expressed his opinions on the upcoming clash with Bangladesh. With their recent defeat against Zimbabwe, the Bangladesh team is being considered a “weaker” opponent in the tournament. However, Khan enunciated his stance of not taking the Shakib Al Hasan-led team lightly.
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“It will be different condition in Sharjah tomorrow,” he said. “Shakib [Al Hasan] is the skipper, the most experienced player in the side. It makes a huge difference. But we think about our process. It is in the players’ mind. We know our roles and jobs tomorrow. We don’t think about the result, whether we beat them or not.”
“We don’t think opposition is weak or strong. You can’t say that in cricket. It is something that you never handle the result of the game. For us, every opposition is tough. We have to take the opposition seriously, and be well prepared. If we are playing Hong Kong or India tomorrow, we will have the same preparation.”