Rashid Khan hopeful of Afghanistan’s qualification for the World Cup

Social media burst into a wave of heartbreak when it seemed that Afghanistan’s chances of qualifying for the 2019 World Cup were next to none. Given the rapid strides they have made in international cricket, they have managed to win hearts across the world. However, their premier spinner Rashid Khan is still hoping to qualify for the tournament, saying that “anything can happen” after they beat UAE to keep their hopes alive in the on-going World Cup qualifier tournament.

With their win against UAE, Afghanistan now has four points in the Super Six table, and in order to progress further in the tournament and make it to the finals, they have to defeat Ireland in their next assignment.

No team has qualified yet

“Anything can happen. In the Super Six, it’s quite difficult for anyone to go direct,” Rashid was quoted as saying on cricbuzz. “Till now, a single team hasn’t qualified. Everyone is in doubt. That is a good thing. We just need to win the last match and see what happens.”

Afghanistan got lucky

Afghanistan’s journey in the tournament has been more about luck than about their own wins. They began the tournament poorly, losing games to Scotland and Hong Kong. However, Nepal’s victory against Hong Kong helped them enter the Super Sixes. And in their crucial game against the UAE, Afghanistan, riding on Rashid’s five-wicket haul won the game and now keep their hopes alive. Rashid said that it felt good to contribute to the team’s victory.

“In this Super Six, the target was to win all three matches and just see what happens. Anything can happen in the match between UAE and Zimbabwe. We can only hope for the best. It feels good to take five-wicket haul and to contribute in the bowling department. I did well in the last matches as well, but I was unlucky in not taking many wickets. Today I took wickets, and it was a good day for me.”