We had fun in this competition, and we’re willing to accept losing against a top team like South Africa in the semifinals: Rashid Khan

Under Rashid Khan’s leadership, Afghanistan had an excellent T20 World Cup 2024 campaign. The team was drawn into the tournament’s Group C, which included teams like New Zealand and the West Indies. Nevertheless, the team defeated all odds and advanced to the Super Eight stage thanks to outstanding efforts.

Their talent does not end with the Super Eight. Afghanistan, who was grouped with India and Australia, defeated the Australians to take second place in the group and advance to the tournament’s semi-final.

Their journey ended in the semifinals against undefeated South Africa. Afghanistan lost the match by nine wickets after being bowled out for just 56 runs, unable to hold on to their pitiful total, and South Africa advanced to the summit match.

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Regarding the match and the campaign, Afghanistan’s captain, Rashid Khan, was pleased with the team’s historic tournament run but disappointed about the loss.

We had a really difficult time as a team. Though the circumstances prevented us from doing as we would have liked, we may have performed better. That’s the nature of Twenty20 cricket; you have to be prepared for anything. They bowled pretty well, in my opinion. I believe that the seamers’ excellent bowling contributed to our good results in this competition; you need strong starts. Although I believe Mujeeb’s injury was unfortunate, our seamers and even Nabi bowled exceptionally well with the new ball. During the post-match presentation ceremony, Rashid Khan stated, “That made our job as spinners easier.”

This tournament has been enjoyable for us: Rashid Khan

The best spinner also emphasised how much the team is pleased with their performance and how much they enjoyed playing. He did, however, also highlight the need for work in the intermediate order.

“We have had fun at this competition. We’ll take it if we have to play in the semifinals and lose to a superior team like Africa. For us, this is just the beginning; we are capable of defeating any opposition. To take the innings deep, considerable effort needs to be done, particularly in the middle. As I previously stated, our team is constantly learning, and thus far, we have produced positive outcomes, Rashid Khan remarked.