In their first match in the Asia Cup, both Bangladesh and Afghanistan faced Hong Kong. Both teams won against Hong Kong. However, the Afghans were ahead in winning by showing their dominance. The Bangladesh-Afghanistan face-off will play a big role in advancing to the Super Four. And former Pakistani cricketer Ahmed Shehzad is leading the Afghans there.
Shehzad says the reason behind considering Afghanistan as the favourite is the team’s high number of match winners. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Ghazanfar, Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor Ahmed or Fazlhaq Farooqui – everyone in the Afghanistan squad is a match winner. In any situation, all of them have the ability to turn the tide of the match single-handedly.
While praising Afghanistan at the post-match program of Geo News, the former Pakistan opener said, “The Afghanistan team has a lot of match winners. If you look at the Bangladesh squad, you will see that they do not have that many impact players or match winners.”
Shahzad said, “There is a big achievement here for their (Afghanistan) players. Again, many of their players play in the IPL, get the opportunity to learn a lot. They are coming and spreading that among the youngsters. Their seniors were good, tried to build a team. And the players have now built the infrastructure themselves.”
He added, “Their players work hard, listen to each other. They have all worked together to take Afghanistan to the top. They have done a lot of good things, which is why Afghanistan seems better than all the other partner teams. Even better than Bangladesh, as we are discussing.”
FAQ
Who is Ahmed Shehzad and what did he say about Afghanistan?
Ahmed Shehzad is a former Pakistani cricketer. He said Afghanistan is the favorite against Bangladesh due to their many match-winning players.
Which Afghan players are considered match winners?
Key players include Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Ghazanfar, Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor Ahmed, and Fazlhaq Farooqui.
Why does Shehzad believe Afghanistan is stronger than Bangladesh?
Afghanistan has multiple match-winning players who can turn games around, while Bangladesh has fewer impact players in their squad.
How has the IPL influenced Afghanistan’s cricket development?
Playing in the IPL has given Afghan players exposure to top-level cricket, helping them improve skills and inspire younger teammates.
