New Delhi, Former captain Ashgar Afghan on Wednesday hailed Rashid Khan as the 'Captain of the Tournament' and attributed Afghanistan's unprecedented success in the ongoing T20 World Cup to the players' exposure to difficult wickets in international cricket and in leagues around the world.
Afghanistan on Tuesday wrote history by qualifying for their first T20 World Cup semi-final with a victory over Bangladesh. The strife-torn nation's players have been sensational, also defeating New Zealand in the group stage and then outwitting Australia in the super 8s.
"I feel Rashid has been the captain of the tournament. He has set the example. He has been an inspiring captain, a match-winner with the ball and very effective with the bat," Ashgar, who won 42 of the 52 T20Is. that Afghanistan competed under his leadership, he told Ides.
"The most important thing is that he has been able to bring out the best in his players. And this has been one of the main reasons why Afghanistan reached the semi-finals. When I was captain of the Afghan team in 2017, he was the vice-captain and then he also showed leadership skills".
Afghanistan will now face South Africa in the first semi-final in Tarouba, Trinidad, on Thursday.
"If you ask me what has been the number one reason (behind Afghanistan's success), I would say this team's exposure to international cricket and T20 leagues around the world throughout the year," he said.
"They have been playing on very difficult terrain and that has given them the knowledge, experience and technical know-how to deal with difficult terrain in the United States and the Caribbean."
Asghar, who captained Afghanistan in their maiden Test against India in 2018 and their maiden Test win against Ireland in 2019, praised the opening pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran for playing a pivotal role in Afghanistan's success in the tournament.
"They are the most successful opening pair of the tournament, scoring the maximum number of runs. While Gurbaz is the top run-scorer, Zadran is at number 3 (in the list).
"In addition, they always gave Afghanistan a good start to help the team achieve a formidable total or pursue difficult objectives," he observed.
Three Afghan bowlers feature in the list of top five wicket-takers, with pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi leading the list with 17 wickets. Rashid Khan is at three with 15 wickets, while Naveen ul Haq is at fifth position with 13 wickets.
"Farooqi, Naveen and Rashid have taken 45 wickets combined. This is amazing. The Afghans are dominating the batting and bowling charts. They are getting crucial wickets at crucial times and have changed the rules of the game.
"Even Noor Ahmad has been a phenomenon. This team looks very dangerous and has the potential to achieve more victories and surprise the world," he concluded.
Afghanistan on Tuesday wrote history by qualifying for their first T20 World Cup semi-final with a victory over Bangladesh. The strife-torn nation's players have been sensational, also defeating New Zealand in the group stage and then outwitting Australia in the super 8s.
"I feel Rashid has been the captain of the tournament. He has set the example. He has been an inspiring captain, a match-winner with the ball and very effective with the bat," Ashgar, who won 42 of the 52 T20Is. that Afghanistan competed under his leadership, he told Ides.
"The most important thing is that he has been able to bring out the best in his players. And this has been one of the main reasons why Afghanistan reached the semi-finals. When I was captain of the Afghan team in 2017, he was the vice-captain and then he also showed leadership skills".
Afghanistan will now face South Africa in the first semi-final in Tarouba, Trinidad, on Thursday.
"If you ask me what has been the number one reason (behind Afghanistan's success), I would say this team's exposure to international cricket and T20 leagues around the world throughout the year," he said.
"They have been playing on very difficult terrain and that has given them the knowledge, experience and technical know-how to deal with difficult terrain in the United States and the Caribbean."
Asghar, who captained Afghanistan in their maiden Test against India in 2018 and their maiden Test win against Ireland in 2019, praised the opening pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran for playing a pivotal role in Afghanistan's success in the tournament.
"They are the most successful opening pair of the tournament, scoring the maximum number of runs. While Gurbaz is the top run-scorer, Zadran is at number 3 (in the list).
"In addition, they always gave Afghanistan a good start to help the team achieve a formidable total or pursue difficult objectives," he observed.
Three Afghan bowlers feature in the list of top five wicket-takers, with pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi leading the list with 17 wickets. Rashid Khan is at three with 15 wickets, while Naveen ul Haq is at fifth position with 13 wickets.
"Farooqi, Naveen and Rashid have taken 45 wickets combined. This is amazing. The Afghans are dominating the batting and bowling charts. They are getting crucial wickets at crucial times and have changed the rules of the game.
"Even Noor Ahmad has been a phenomenon. This team looks very dangerous and has the potential to achieve more victories and surprise the world," he concluded.
