New Delhi: There was dejection writ large on his face as Rashid Khan, not just the Afghanistan skipper but their talisman, took it upon himself to do media duties on Sunday ahead of the Group D game against United Arab Emirates. The media attendance was thin, but Rashid Khan took every question with a smile, although every response revealed the pain.
This T20 World Cup has pitted Afghanistan in their own Group of Death and coming into the tournament, they knew a win over New Zealand or South Africa will be needed to escape into the Super 8. Defeat to both has effectively eliminated the 2024 semi-finalists. Canada are the fifth team in the group.
Afghanistan have emerged as a team to contend with in white-ball cricket, a good bunch of batters and an excellent complement of spinners, most inspired by the phenomenal success of Rashid Khan.
The loss to New Zealand was by five wickets – the Kiwis chased down 183 in the Chennai game – but the defeat to South Africa in Ahmedabad on Wednesday has left Afghanistan disheartened. SA are atop Group D (6 pts), followed by NZ (4) and UAE (2). Afghanistan hope to get their first points against UAE.
South Africa appeared to have wrapped it up when Afghanistan were nine wickets down and needing 13 runs from the last over. But Kagiso Rabada’s no ball, wide start somehow allowed them to tie the scores before the match was decided after two Super Overs.
More than not grabbing the unexpected chance, Rashid Khan did not come on to bowl either Super Over, while SA trusted left-arm Keshav Maharaj with the second and he delivered. Rashid Khan backed using pacers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Azmatullah Omarzai in the Super Overs, but bemoaned not delivering despite the long build-up.
“It is quite disappointing,” he said. “In the last one, one-and-a-half years, we worked hard to get the results, but after the first two games (we are virtually out). Sometimes, it doesn’t go your way.”
“That wicket wasn’t as great for the spinners and I felt how Farooqi and Azmatullah bowled in the last few overs, if they bowled with the same mindset – you never know. Imagine if I would have bowled and he hit two, three sixes, then people would have been like, ‘Oh! he had Azmatullah, who has bowled really well in the innings.”
Rashid Khan praised his players for putting in the effort and pointed to how even Australia are facing elimination as they play co-host Sri Lanka on Monday, following the defeat to Zimbabwe. The ace spinner though put it down to the ebb and flow of World Cup dynamics.
“Anything can happen. The other day Zimbabwe beat Australia, so we hope. Let’s see if we get a little bit of a chance, but more importantly, in the last two games, we have to put in all the effort.”
Rashid said: “It’s very, very hard to lose (against SA). We had it in our hands a couple of times and then it slips away… It doesn’t go away from your mind. Like the game we played against Australia in the 2023 World Cup in Wankhede, it never goes out of the mind, until we won against them in the 2024 World Cup.”
In the 2023 World Cup against Australia, Afghanistan were at the receiving end of an epic knock at the Wankhede Stadium. Defending 291/5, they had reduced the Aussies to 91/7 only for Glenn Maxwell to produce a comeback-for-the-ages knock, an unbeaten 201 with 21 fours and 10 sixes braving cramp in the day-night game. Australia went on to win the tournament.
But Afghanistan avenged that loss to an extent by beating Australia in the 2024 T20 World Cup at Kingstown, defending 148 by dismissing the Aussies for 127. It took them to the semi-finals where they lost to eventual runners-up South Africa.
“The only message I was giving to the players this time is we have to stick together, keep our heads up. If we don’t put ourselves much down, we can achieve bigger things.”
Unable to play an international at home, Afghanistan players are familiar with Indian conditions and the country’s fans with them. Didn’t that give them at least an even chance of beating strong sides? Rashid said players from outside the sub-continent spent almost three months in India every IPL. “That is much more than our playing a few games (as a national team).” The 2026 IPL will have only four Afghanistan players, the retained Rashid (GT), Noor Ahmed (CSK), Azmatullah Omarzai (PBKS) and Mohammad Ghazanfar (MI). None of the 10 Afghan players in the auction was picked.
The Afghanistan team, based out of India for a few years, have now shifted to the UAE after a five-year deal.
