Afghanistan have all their bases covered, they are high on confidence: Wasim Jaffer

With two top-notch wins against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Afghanistan are now the hot favourites to qualify for the finals of the Asia Cup. With a series loss against Ireland, many did not consider Afghanistan as a serious threat in the competition but with two massive wins, they sure did change their mind.

Former Afghanistan skipper Asghar Afghan recently said how beating Pakistan can be a reality but that remains to be seen. For now, Afghanistan will challenge Sri Lanka in the first match of the Super 4. They did defeat the Lankans by eight wickets earlier in the tournament and experts believe that they can do it once again.

Wasim Jaffer for one believes that the Afghans are once again favourites to win the match. Be it their bowling or batting, the team looked good and players looked in proper shape. Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, the partners in crime, are on song and can decimate any opponent on a given day. Jaffer believes that the Afghanistan team has covered all their bases and with two back-to-back wins, they are high on confidence.

“Yes, there’s no doubt in it (Afghanistan will have the upper hand against Sri Lanka). They have covered all their bases. The batters are playing well, they have world class spinners and the pacers have done well too. So, all the bases are covered and the confidence is high considering they defeated both their opponents (in the group stage), and became the first team to qualify (for super four). So, Afghanistan is definitely the favourites to win this game. Also, you can’t rule them out of the equation and they can go all the way," he said while speaking to 'BatBricks7 presents Run Ki Runneeti' on CricTracker.

Afghanistan are more hungry for success: Vijay Dahiya

Afghanistan have had success in the past but they are still looking for their maiden major trophy. They are becoming a power in the Asian subcontinent but a trophy is all they need to justify their progress. Thus, former India international Vijay Dahiya believes that the team is more hungry for success this season. 

“Afghanistan is stronger (in comparison to Sri Lanka) on paper. They are a good team and have the right combination. The wickets in Sharjah often help the spinners and they have three quality spinners. 12 of the 20 overs can be bowled by the spinners, which means they’ll bowl for the majority of the time," Dahiya said.

"If the pitch favours them, the spinners can get more dangerous. They have played a lot of their cricket in Dubai, Sharjah and places nearby. As they don’t practise a lot in these conditions, they are aware of the conditions. ICC and ACC helped them a lot in the process. Now, if you compare Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, then I think Afghanistan is more hungry for success," he added,