Afghanistan's Asia Cup Performance Is A Warning To All Teams Ahead Of The 2019 World Cup

It's about time Afghanistan cricket moved beyond the soft stories. They play their cricket hard and they certainly don't need patronizing treatment.

The results notwithstanding, they were clearly the most consistent team after India in the Asia Cup. Moments after the tie with India on Tuesday night, Asghar Afghan made an audacious claim: "We would have definitely been in the final had we played all our matches in Dubai. Nobody knows the conditions in Dubai better than us.

Also Read: Afghanistan Pull Off Epic Tie Vs Defending Champions India In Thrilling Asia Cup Clash

We were unlucky that we played in Abu Dhabi and we didn't finish off two close matches."

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He added: "We can hold our heads high and this performance gives us pride. Remember, this is a warning for the World Cup teams."

Their performance in the tournament will compel all the established teams to spend more hours analyzing their game. Teams are more likely to single out their dependence on their spin attack - Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi. They are the stars who have showcased the zeal and the passion of Afghan cricket to the world.

Also Read: A Heartbreaking Result & Lesson In Experience - Afghanistan's Loss To Pakistan Is An Eye-Opener

Asghar was not willing to talk about any weakness in his camp. "Cricket happens on the pitch. The way Asian conditions are, there will be more spinners playing. There won't be too many fast bowlers," he said when asked about the dependence on his spinners.

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It was then time to harp on the fast-bowling resources. "It's not just our spinners who are bowling here. Our fast bowlers are also there. Aftab has got wickets. We have other fast bowlers too. Three-four of them got unfit last month.

Also Read: The Sri Lankan Cricket Team Is So Bad That Even Afghanistan Is Beating Them By A 91-Run Margin!

There's Dawlat Zadran, Wafadar is our new talent and we also have Hameed Hasan. So we have 3-4 players who are excellent fast bowlers. You guys may or may not have seen them."

Then came another claim: "Our spinners will be able to bowl anywhere, because they're different kind of spinners. That's the important thing. Our spinners are different from those around the world."

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Asghar's statements exuded the confidence infused into this team by coach Phil Simmons. The former West Indies all-rounder was coaching Ireland when Afghanistan were still toiling away as an Associate nation.

"Simmons made us aware of our abilities. He said we shouldn't think very low of ourselves. We are a much better team than what we earlier believed," the 30-year-old said.

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The world has heard a lot about their spirit and ability. Now it is time to improve. The stories of their struggle and potential have overshadowed their cricket.

But they can ill-afford to hide behind the stardom of Rashid and Mujeeb. "Previously, this (batting) was our weak area and we're working on it. In Asia Cup it was okay but when we go to the World Cup, we will have to be improve," Asghar said.