Karachi: The captain of the Cricket team in Afghanistan, Hashem Allah, witnessed his confidence in the capabilities of his team before the ICC Cup against South Africa in Karachi.
Speaking at a press conference before the match, Shahidi talked about preparing the team and supporting fans and their aspirations for the tournament.
When asked about the pressures of South Africa’s confrontation, given his previous record by winning only in five ODIS since 2019, Shahidi has been unjust.
“Between 2019 and now, there is a big difference,” he said. “We have recently overcome them 2-1 in Sharjah, so we have this confidence with us. We are not under pressure. For the time time, we focus on what we can do in this tournament, and I think our team is more willing than ever.”
Shahdi also rejected concerns about preparing the team, despite the loss in the warm -up match against New Zealand. Our goal in warm -up games was to give everyone a chance and prepare users to circumstances. “We were not looking for results,” he said. “We had a camp in Dubai and we are completely ready. These conditions are suitable for us, and I am sure that we could reach the next round.”
Afghanistan leader highlighted overwhelming support from Afghan and Bashton fans in Karachi, describing him as a source of motives. There are a lot of Afghans and Pashtun here who support us. Yesterday, there was a large crowd chanting for Rashid (Khan) and Nabi. It is a good feeling and gives us confidence. ”
He stressed that Afghanistan is not only participated in the championship, but here to compete and win.
“Our goal is to win the final match. We are not only here to participate. We have played a lot of high -quality cricket game over the past two years, and very experienced boys. These conditions suit us, and we have a good opportunity. Let’s start from tomorrow and hope to carry the momentum throughout the tournament. ”
In addressing recent calls to some teams to boycott matches against Afghanistan due to political issues, Shahidi continued to focus on the cricket. “As athletes, our mission is to play the cricket game. We are not interested in what is going on outside. We only control things inside the ground. Our performance in the past three years has been very good, and we focus on what we can control.”
Thinking about the journey of Afghanistan in the international cricket game, the captain admitted the team’s progress but stressed the importance of looking forward. We have played a good cricket game in the last World Cup, but this is now a date. Our goal is to improve day by day. In this heroic cup, we want to reach the finals and win the cup. This is what we are here for. ”
He also expressed his desire to see the international cricket game to Afghanistan. We have good facilities, stadiums, and academies. Security issues were a challenge, but we hope that a team will soon come to Afghanistan. The cricket passion is huge, and the stadiums are packed even for local games. I hope that day will come soon. “