Karachi: Lishhan Allah Gorbaz in Afghanistan expressed his gratitude to the fans who came to calm his team at the Karachi National Stadium and pledged to learn from mistakes after defeating his team against South Africa in the International Champions Champions Cup for the International Criminal Court on Tuesday.
Despite the loss, Gurbaz highlighted overwhelming support from Afghan fans in Karachi, saying that she felt like playing at home. Afghanistan, unable to host the international cricket game due to security concerns, has often played “home” matches in the United Arab Emirates.
“First of all, thank you very much for all the crowds that came and supported us. To be really honest, we did not expect a lot of the crowd, but again, thank you,” Gorbaz said in the mixed area after the match.
The Afghan cricket player also talked about support from Afghan fans, who turned in large numbers in the Karachi Stadium. With the absence of the international cricket game that played in Afghanistan, Gorbaz said that the atmosphere made him feel as if the team was playing at home.
“I think we are already feeling that the Earth was almost full. We have never played an international game in Afghanistan, but this was some feeling that we feel today,” he said. “I hope it’s time to play in Afghanistan as well. This will be a great feeling.”
When asked about the team’s performance, Gurbaz admitted the need to improve but stressed the focus on the positives. “We are professional players. We know what we have done and what we should improve in the next game. We just need to take positive things from here and leave negativity behind them,” he said.
Gorbaz admitted that the stadium conditions in Karachi were different from what the team expected. Unlike the surface used in the Pakistan New Zealand match, where the ball reached the bats smoothly, the stadium for the Afghanistan match against South Africa presented an additional bounce and speed.
“In order to be really honest, it was completely against our expectations. We expected little of the stadium slower, but as professional players, we do not need to make excuses,” Gorbaz said.
“This was the first time that we saw a share like this in Pakistan, especially in Karachi. But we need to prepare for such situations.”
In response to questions about the growing reputation of Afghanistan in the international cricket game, Gorbaz rejected the idea that their victories were just turmoil. He pointed out that the team may overcome almost every nation, with a focus on its position as a competitive side.
“People must get out of their minds that we are annoyed. We have defeated every team in the world. It is not respectful to call our victories,” he said.
Gurbaz has set the bowling in Afghanistan as their basic power, but also praised, especially Rahmat Shah’s performance in the match. “If there are other strikers to support Ramat Shah, we have registered more,” he added.
Despite the severe defeat, Gorbaz remained optimistic about Afghanistan’s opportunities in the championship. With two games remaining, he stressed the importance of maintaining a positive mentality and focusing on winning the following games to improve the net operating rate.
“A strong team is always stronger. I think so. We are always stronger,” he said.
“We need to take the positive side from here and leave the negativity behind us. We still have an opportunity to move forward.”