Noor Ali looked like a beautiful batsman who fundamentally believed in pretty shots over singles. No amount of convincing can say that Karim Sadiq was looking at the ball, his seventh scoreless ball, that dismissed him. Mohammad Nabi played Rangana Herath like someone who was facing the world's best spinner when last week he was facing a 44-year-old former wicketkeeper turned part-time spinner. Mohammad Shahzad, their star batsman of the tournament, looked lost without the slow pitch of Nagpur, and he seemed to start walking off halfway through his shot. His innings wasn't built, it fell into place despite some of his best efforts. Their top scorer, the captain Asghar Stanikzai, was equal parts international batsman and first timer. "Īfghanistan looked like a firecracker in a steel drum. The outfield was very fast, the pitch was very good, so I think we were perhaps 15-20 runs short, but if we had made better use of the first 10 overs, we could have definitely made a bigger total." "We got a little stuck in the first ten overs, and if we had made 60 or 70 by that point, we could have made 170-plus on this wicket. "The way our captain batted, the way our lower order contributed according to our team's requirements, and the fact that our boys didn't give up." But overall, we did very well, and could have done even better. Our boys batted well, they bowled well too, but there were a few lapses in fielding, and I think it was the pressure of playing in a big tournament. The more international cricket we play, the more exposure we get, and I feel we will give good performances. We were playing against the champions, and I thought we performed very well, gave them a tough time, and we could even have won, but they were an experienced team, and handled the pressure well. But Sri Lanka still looked like they knew what they were doing, like they were in charge, maybe not in form, or even great quality, but that as a team they knew the basic fundamentals of the game. Sri Lanka lost half their wickets to run outs. Sri Lanka took their foot off Afghanistan's throat. Not letting the ball through your legs and gifting the opposition three extra runs for a shot and ball that deserved only one run, in a position that you were specifically placed to ensure would mean only one run. In modern coach-speak they talk of the one percenters. But the rest of the Associates often make up for their lack of talent with cricket basics. They often bully the Associates, who dream of days when they can find cricketers of this quality. Watching the ball.Īfghanistan as a cricket nation dripping with talent. Not standing in front of the stumps when a throw comes in. Throwing the ball safely into the wicketkeeper's general vicinity from 30 yards. Getting down low and watching the ball into your hand. 1 to 9 in your order who is capable, and willing, to hit a six first ball they face. You can have opening bowlers who can touch 90 miles per hour. On two occasions Sri Lanka scored four runs instead of the agreed upon one run. If the fielding team has someone out on the boundary, and you hit the ball pretty much straight at them, you take the single.
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