Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan did not hide his disappointment after going down to South Africa in a one-sided semifinal. A clinical South Africa qualified for their maiden T20 World Cup final with a resounding nine-wicket win over Afghanistan in the semifinal. “It was tough for us as a team.
We might have done better but the conditions didn’t allow us to do what we wanted. That’s how T20 cricket is, you need to be ready for all conditions,” a dejected Rashid said. However, the spinner believes his side, which reached its maiden semifinals, has learned a lot from this tournament.
“It is just the beginning for us, we have the confidence and belief to beat any side. We just need to keep our processes. This has been a great learning experience for us.
“What we take from the competition is the belief. We know we have the skills, it is just about managing tough and pressure situations,” he noted. So, is there any area he can think of improving as a team? ‘Yes, some work to be done, especially in the middle order to take the innings deep.
We have achieved good results so far but we come back doing more hard work, especially in the batting department.’ Rashid credited South African pacers for sticking to their guns in a stellar fashion. “I think they bowled really well.
I think we got good success in this tournament because the seamers bowled really well. You need good starts (when bowlers are on top).” The 25-year-old said the Afghan bowlers too did just fine.
