Shahid Kamal & skipper Gulbadin Naib exuberated grit & resilience as Afghanistan settled for a silver in the Asian Games final. An unbeaten partnership of 60 runs between the two in 45 balls remained the premium hallmark of their fight after the match was abandoned due to incessant showers.
Put into bat, Afghanistan had a dreadful start
After being put into bat by India, Afghanistan had a dreadful start. The team lost Zubaid Akbari in the second over when he tried to swipe a rising delivery from Shivam Dube without getting into the thick of things.
Shahzad was hard done by a length delivery from Arshdeep that went into the gloves of the keeper. However, there was ample evidence that the ball might have touched the arm of Mohammadi instead of his willow. Since there was no DRS, the decision couldn’t be challenged.
Poor running between the wickets is a chronic issue of Noor Ali
On the other hand, unperturbed by two quick losses, Noor Ali perished due to a non-existent second run that needed a dive to safeguard his wicket which he avoided. This is not the first time that Noor Ali has set an example of poor running between the wickets. On numerous occasions before, he has demonstrated such stupid acts in domestic tournaments.
Afsar & Karim fails to impress
Over the years, Afsar Zazai & Karim Janat have been an enigma of sorts when it comes to delivery. The cricket board & selectors have invested immense faith in these two in the last few years but yet they’ve not been able to make a consistent progress as per the expected lines. The gap between the quality of Indian spin & the caliber of these batters got hugely exposed yesterday. While Afsar couldn’t pick a single ball from Bishnoi before getting rattled through a wrong one, Karim was foxed by a top spin from Shahbaz Ahmad.
Kamal & Naib consolidates the innings mixed with caution & aggression
When everything seemed lost at 52/5 in 10.5 overs, there came Gulbadin to rescue the team once again. In Shahid he found an able partner who was carefully nudging the ball around & kept the scoreboard ticking. Both of them maneuvered the relentless attack of Indian spinners through occasional boundaries & sixes. It was indeed a hard grind effort by the duo. Not only they managed to keep their wickets safe but also scored at a fair pace.
Kamal falls short by one run from his maiden T20I fifty
It was unfortunate that Kamal couldn’t complete his maiden T20I fifty before the rain came & spoiled the party. But kudos to his efforts that he played according to merit of the situation & pulled the team out of dire straits. Looking at the way Najib is playing these days, Kamal is threatening to take his place in the national side because of his superior foot work & technique to handle the spinners in the middle phase. Shahid will get another crack in the upcoming Oman tour where he will have the opportunity to consolidate his claim in the national team.
Afghanistan settles with a silver at Hangzhou
India won the gold by virtue of its higher seed as compared to Afghanistan. But with this solitary silver medal, Afghanistan have surpassed Pakistan in the overall medals tally. Besides, there are certainly some positives which the selectors must draw from Asian Games. The likes of Kamal, Naib & Qais were consistent enough to throw a challenge to their colleagues playing at the world cup. There are some more youngsters who will be tested in the tour to Oman. Hopefully few of them will be able to perform against a formidable Oman side & leave a significant impression.