Having shown glimpses of their ability in the last two World Cups, Afghanistan have most pieces of the puzzle right in the lead up to the Champions Trophy
Mohammad Isam12-Nov-2024There’s meme potential in Jonathan Trott sitting with a smirk on his face as everyone around him celebrated wildly. Azmatullah Omarzai pumped his fist after hitting the winning runs with a straight six in the third ODI against Bangladesh. Mohammad Nabi was quick to get to Omarzai before the Afghanistan dugout emptied to join the batting pair in the middle. Trott celebrated, of course, with his notebook in hand. After all, Afghanistan had sealed their third consecutive ODI series win.They had beaten Ireland in March before reaching the T20 World Cup semi-final in June. They had defeated South Africa in ODIs for the first time, in September, before completing successive series wins against Bangladesh with this 2-1 triumph. Afghanistan did not quite dominate Bangladesh throughout the series, as the margin in the first ODI suggested, but did enough to create pressure and come up on the right side of it at the end.In the third ODI, Rahmanullah Gurbaz proved to be the difference, stepping up after two low scores. There were murmurs that he does not fancy batting immediately after keeping wickets for 50 overs – he averaged 47.64 in the first innings and 17.15 in the second before Monday. Despite struggling with some cramps on his hand, he kept Afghanistan in the chase, and when he fell for 101, they were only 61 away.Related
Gurbaz ton, Omarzai fifty and four-for win the series for Afghanistan
The absence of Taskin Ahmed, rested for the third ODI, could have played into Gurbaz’s hands. Taskin had dismissed Gurbaz in both previous games, and generally has the wood over the wicketkeeper-batter. His replacement, Nahid Rana, also bowled well to Gurbaz, conceding just seven runs off 26 balls. But Gurbaz hammered the other bowlers; he struck Shoriful Islam and Mustafizur Rahman for a combined five sixes.And then there was Nabi. His match-winning 84 in the first match followed by another contribution of 34 not out off 27 balls in the third game helped him become only the fifth player to win the Player-of-the-Series award in ODIs at the age of 39 or more. He added an unbroken 58 for the sixth wicket with Omarzai and slammed Rana down the ground twice to blunt Bangladesh’s last resort.It was a turnaround of sorts for Omarzai, too, after bagging a couple of ducks. He gave Gurbaz the confidence and took on Mehidy Hasan Miraz for a six early in the innings. That was Gurbaz’s cue to continue to dominate the Bangladesh attack without worrying about the other end. Omarzai, who also took four wickets in the game, later said that he was pleased with the way he bowled in the death for the first time in his Afghanistan career. He also kept his nerve in the chase, proving it with a straight six off Shoriful.While Trott doesn’t let on with too much emotion when the camera is on him during a match, he would be pleased with Afghanistan getting out of a difficult spot multiple times in the series. They were in trouble twice in the first game but ended up winning both moments emphatically. They recovered well in the second game, and then held their wits in the decider on Monday.
“Just remember how hard we worked for these things, and enjoy them. Remember how good it feels in here. That’s why we win. That’s why we spend extra time in the gym. That’s why you get to sleep on time. That’s why we eat healthy. When we put ourselves under pressure in practice, or fielding practice, when we are under pressure there, we can survive, we know what to do. We think clearly.”Jonathan Trott in the dressing room after the series win
Afghanistan’s recent dominance in Sharjah also means that this is the closest thing to them having a home ground in white-ball cricket. Their performances against Ireland and South Africa proved that they could master these conditions. Overcoming the Bangladesh challenge – for a second year in a row – only added to their surge.The icing on Afghanistan’s win is the emergence of young players like AM Ghazanfar, Sediqullah Atal and Omarzai, who have had telling contributions enough to form a second line alongside the usual suspects in Nabi, Gurbaz and Rashid Khan. The number of allrounders in their line-up would give them the depth that teams like Bangladesh would crave for going into the Champions Trophy.After the match ended in Sharjah, Trott entered the dressing room with the gigantic series-winning trophy in one hand. As the rest of the team and coaching staff sat around him, Trott explained why sacrifices have to be made to achieve something in sports.”[Achievements] come with a lot of emotions, blood, sweat, tears, disappointment,” Trott said. “These things are hard to come by. Just remember how hard we worked for these things, and enjoy them. Remember how good it feels in here. That’s why we win. That’s why we spend extra time in the gym. That’s why you get to sleep on time. That’s why we eat healthy. When we put ourselves under pressure in practice, or fielding practice, when we are under pressure there, we can survive, we know what to do. We think clearly.”Afghanistan are building towards a major push for a bigger trophy in the coming years. They showed glimpses in the last two World Cups, but the Champions Trophy, being Nabi’s swansong, could be the big emotional moment they try for. They have most pieces of the puzzle coming together. Trott would be required to bring his A game to the tournament too. He has been credited by many for bringing the tactical nous to the Afghan talent and experience. Poker-faced through the game but smiling with a trophy in hand at the end – not a bad picture to be in for Trott.
