Winless Afghanistan plotting upsets, says skipper Naib

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Afghanistan may have looked largely at sea in the World Cup but they can still pull off upsets, skipper Gulbadin Naib said ahead of Tuesday's clash against hosts England.

Winless Afghanistan plotting upsets, says skipper Naib

(Reuters)





The Afghans made their World Cup debut in 2015 when they beat Scotland but are without a win after four matches in their second appearance.

"We are here to win matches but it's not easy to beat such strong teams in a tournament like World Cup," Naib said ahead of the team's practice session at Old Trafford.

"It's a tough tournament, and the cricket is world class. We're trying to create upsets and win matches. We're looking for it."

Afghanistan gave former champions Sri Lanka a scare but suffered comprehensive defeats by South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.

They could not bat out their quota of 50 overs in any of the matches and face India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and West Indies after the game against England.

"We're trying to put everything in the middle. We know we have the potential to do better but it's bad luck that we could not do well. We did not like how we played in the last four games."

Afghan rely heavily on their three-pronged spin attack led by Rashid Khan and Naib felt lack of turn in English surfaces had compromised their strength.

"We're looking for some spin but we did not find it in the surfaces here," said Naib, who hopes Old Trafford, where India beat Pakistan on Sunday, would be a different experience.

"The wicket for the India-Pakistan match had some turn. (On such surfaces), teams could be in trouble against Afghanistan.

"Spinners are key for Afghanistan, that's how we played cricket in the last three years. Spinners are behind the high rate of our success."

With some assistance from the pitch, Rashid, currently ranked third in ODI bowler's list, could prove quite a handful against England, Naib said.

"Rashid is not like other bowlers. He's an attacking bowler, always attacking. It's his bad luck that surfaces here do not suit him.

"If we get the kind of wicket used for the India-Pakistan match, Rashid could be difficult for any team, not only England.

"He is a key bowler and has been a key part of Afghanistan's success in the last few years."





(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in Manchester; editing by ...)


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Winless Afghanistan plotting upsets, says skipper Naib | SBS News