Afghanistan did well in the T20 World Cup considering we came three days before the tournament: Gulbadin Naib

All-rounder Gulbadin Naib said that Afghanistan had loads of positives to take home from their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign despite their exit before the semi-final. The 30-year-old reckoned that the Afghans were quick to hit their straps and didn’t overly flatter to deceive. Before the start of the mega event, Rashid Khan quit captaincy after which Mohammad Nabi was appointed as the skipper.

Afghanistan started the tournament with a 130-run win over Scotland after Mujeeb Ur Rahman picked up a five-wicket haul. Thereafter, they gave Pakistan a run for their money where Asif Ali’s late blitz took Babar Azam and Co. home. Nabi’s men didn’t allow Namibia to score beyond 100 and made themselves strong contenders to qualify for the semi-final of the World Cup.

On Sunday, November 7, New Zealand defeated them by eight wickets in Abu Dhabi to end their campaign. Najibullah Zadran scored a half-century, but his efforts went in vain. Naib, who scored 69 runs and picked up three wickets in the World Cup, said that the Afghans have done well in recent times, having also qualified for the Super 12 of next year’s mega event.

Pakistan, India are big teams, says Gulbadin Naib

“In the end, everything, we came out here like three days before the tournament. And it’s great stuff for our team and our boys who deliver very quickly, and we did a lot of good things here. So also, good thing for us, so we qualified for the next World Cup. We’re in the top eight. But it’s a lot of work now,” Naib said in the post-match press conference.

Prior to the Super 12, the Afghans also played two warm-up matches. Even as they slumped to a 41-run loss against South Africa, they defeated West Indies by 56 runs in their second practice game. Naib also had words of praises for Babar’s Pakistan and Virat Kohli’s India.

“First of all, you look at the start of the tournament, especially for Afghanistan, we beat West Indies in the warm-up game, and also we beat Scotland in like a one-sided game. And then if you look at the Pakistan side and India side, it’s not easy.

“They’re a big team. So, they didn’t give you a single chance. Like India, last game we played against India, how they played, so they’re brilliant. They’re outstanding,” he added.