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Asghar Afghan, the former Afghanistan captain, has confidently expressed courageous prediction for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024.
T20 World Cup 2024
The tournament, scheduled for June in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA) following the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, has garnered heightened excitement as 20 teams brace themselves for an intensely competitive showdown. This event marks a significant occasion as it is the first ICC World Cup hosted by the West Indies since the 2010 T20 World Cup, providing a unique platform for the USA to exhibit its cricketing prowess on the global stage.
Asghar Afghan’s fearless prediction
Now in an exclusive interview to The Times of India, Asghar placed confidence in the Afghan side qualifying for the top four, attributing it to the similarities in playing conditions between the Caribbean and Asia. Drawing inspiration from the team’s recent ODI World Cup results, Asghar believed this success will propel them to greater heights in the T20 format.
“Afghanistan should play the semi-final of the T20 World Cup because, in the USA and West Indies, they will find the same sort of conditions as it is in Asia. There, bowlers get spin, and the ball sometimes comes late on the bat. And that could play to our advantage,” Asghar said.
“And with the kind of results they got in the ODI World Cup, Afghanistan should definitely play the semi-final of the World Cup. But they need to work extremely hard for that. And if they could believe in themselves, nothing is impossible for Afghanistan,” the 37-year-old added.
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Asghar believes to see different Afghanistan in the upcoming mega event
Asghar underscored the importance of engaging in more competitive matches against top-ranked sides, viewing it as a catalyst for Afghanistan to outperform their recent ODI World Cup performance. Emphasizing the need for thorough preparation, similar to the approach taken before the recently concluded ODI edition, he remained hopeful despite sporadic victories in the past.
“If this Afghanistan side continues to play home and away series against the bigger sides, I am certain that we will see a different Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup. People will enjoy our cricket, and it will be much better than this ODI World Cup,” the Kabul-born cricketer stated.
“We had a good preparation for the ODI World Cup, and we have enough time to prepare for the T20 World Cup now. I can’t say right now who is going to perform or not. Everybody has the chance, but it is important to prepare the team first. If we play some big matches and work on our approach, I am sure that we will play 90 percent better than our last T20 World Cup,” Asghar concluded.
