Bridgetown: Afghanistan head coach, Jonathan Trott, asserted that morning matches suit them better, and they consider themselves the “big boys” of cricket ahead of Thursday’s Super Eight clash against India at Barbados in the T20 World Cup.
“I think day games actually suit us better,” Trott said in the pre-match press conference. “So, quite excited to play India in a day game. Obviously, they’re a very, very good side in the day. Obviously, one of the favourites and with being favourites obviously it has added pressure for India, and hopefully we can come in obviously perceived as underdogs but in my mind very much not underdogs and fully prepared and ready for the battle that confronts us tomorrow, which I’m very excited about.”
One reason Afghanistan are optimistic about morning games is their formidable bowling attack. Their spinners are world-class, and Fazalhaq Farooqi, their swing bowler, can exploit conditions without the hindrance of dew. Trott highlighted their balanced bowling unit, emphasising their ability to take wickets regardless of whether the ball swings, seams, or spins.
“I think when you’ve got the spinners with the experience of T20 cricket, like we have, I think you would obviously say that’s one of our strengths, but yet one of our seamers is a leading wicket-taker in the tournament,” Trott noted. “We’ve seen, certainly over the last couple of years, a more rounded side with regards to the ball and on conditions. So, if it swings and seams, we can take wickets; if it spins, hopefully, we can take wickets as well.”
Despite the absence of dew, Trott reminded his spinners that they still needed to perform to their best abilities. “If it’s going to spin, it’ll probably help us,” Trott acknowledged. “If it doesn’t spin, we’ve got to bowl well as spinners. Spinners can’t just rely on spin to be able to take wickets and pressure. So that goes for both sides, I’m sure. And India have got some good spinners themselves. So, it’s going to be a good contest.”
India’s head coach Rahul Dravid echoed this sentiment, expressing respect for Afghanistan’s capabilities. “If you just look at their squad,” Dravid said, “they might not have a lot of international experience as in the other formats of the game, but a lot of their players do play in a lot of T20 leagues, more than in fact some of our players do. They are sort of well-travelled cricketers, especially in the T20 circuit, T20 league, a lot of them. They are very prominent members of their IPL teams, other teams as well. So, certainly in this format they are not a team to be taken lightly. They are deservedly in the Super Eight, and we will not treat them any differently than any other team that we expect to play in the Super Eight.”
–IANS
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