Triumphant Afghanistan team ready for a new challenge
UAE coach Dougie Brown was impressed by Afghanistan's good show.
Afghanistan added more glory to their inspiring tale in the cricketing circuit by clinching the Intercontinental Cup at Zayed Cricket Stadium on Saturday. Popular spinner Rashid Khan got his act right and bagged a five-wicket haul in the second innings to bowl UAE out for 331. The hosts looked set at one stage as they were at 201/3 before the collapse happened.
Skipper of the Afghan side Asghar Stanikzai lauded the effort of his boys. and he said they are confident of making a smooth transition to five-day cricket from four-day outings. He said the challenges they faced while coming up the grades will hold them in good position to face the upcoming tasks.
“We have faced several challenges to reach where we are today and to play Test [cricket] is another challenge which we are ready to face,” he said. Obviously, the first few Tests will be very tough for us. We have been preparing for it since the announcement was made six months ago.We took this I-Cup against the UAE as part of that preparation with a two-week camp that only focused on fitness and skills.”
“The I-Cup was a good example on how well we played to achieve the result we wanted. We have played the four-day format three times and won it twice and was runner-up in the other.We are excited and waiting for the first Test to be announced. If we are hosting it, we would be playing in either India or the UAE, where we have a big following, but that’s only my thoughts.” he added.
Brown impressed
The UAE coach Dougie Brown was very much impressed by Afghans’ performance and he rated Rashid Khan very highly. Brown also said that the boys will do well in the coming time.
“They can spend the time, money and energy, which they need, to play in the world stage,” Brown said. They have already shown they can tunnel through any opposition, like they beat the West Indies in a one-day game. They have some very good players and Rashid Khan is world class. I think they will do well and I think they will make great strides very, very quickly.”
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