Afghanistan's Batting Now Capable of Chasing 200, Says Rashid Khan

Afghanistan's cricket team has emerged as a formidable force in recent years, with their bowlers, particularly their spinners, playing a pivotal role in their success. However, their captain, Rashid Khan, believes that their batting has now reached a level where they can confidently chase down targets of 200 in T20Is.

"In the past, we struggled a bit in batting," Rashid admitted ahead of Afghanistan's T20 World Cup 2024 opener against Uganda. "Our bowlers had to do a lot more to help us win games."

However, the emergence of young batters from the Under-19 ranks has transformed Afghanistan's batting lineup. "They've worked hard and gained valuable experience playing in leagues around the world," Rashid explained. "Now, we have a batting lineup that can handle targets of 200 on any wicket."

Rashid emphasized the importance of mindset in T20 cricket. "As long as you have the right mindset and believe you can do it, anything is possible," he said. "We've played enough cricket in recent years to improve our skills and challenge the opposition."

Afghanistan and Uganda are placed in Group C alongside West Indies, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea. Experts predict that Afghanistan could be among the top two teams to advance to the Super 8s. But can they go even further and reach the semi-finals?

"We've been mentioned as a potential semi-finalist," Rashid acknowledged. "We take that as a positive sign. It's a big thing for us to be considered among the top four."

However, Rashid remains cautious. "We don't look too far ahead," he said. "We focus on one game at a time and see how it goes. We came close to reaching the semi-finals of the last ODI World Cup, and that's where we started to believe that nothing is impossible for us."

Afghanistan arrived in the Caribbean early for a two-week preparatory camp ahead of the World Cup. Many of their players have experience playing on these pitches during the CPL.

"Our preparation has been great so far," Rashid said. "We had a domestic T20 competition that helped us prepare as a team. We also had two weeks here to acclimatize."

"We have players who played in the CPL and shared their experiences," Rashid added. "But in ICC events, you always expect something different. You have to react to the wicket's behavior."

Tags: #AfghanistanCricket, #T20WorldCup, #RashidKhan, #BattingImprovement, #Spinners