Chennai, Feb 19 (IANS) After striking a career-best unbeaten 95 to guide Afghanistan to a commanding 82-run victory over Canada in their final Group D clash of the T20 World Cup on Thursday, opener Ibrahim Zadran dedicated his Player of the Match award to outgoing head coach Jonathan Trott.
Zadran’s knock, which came off 56 balls, was the highest individual score by an Afghanistan batter at a T20 World Cup, surpassing Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 84 against South Africa earlier in the tournament. His innings laid the foundation for Afghanistan’s total of 200/4, with Mohammad Nabi later starring with 4-7 to seal the win at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
“I enjoyed it, didn’t play better cricket in the first two innings, which I expected. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there; it’s there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it. Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad balls, create partnerships, and this is what I have done.
“Want to dedicate this to coach Jonathan (Trott) – he has supported me, he has encouraged us all a lot. We have achieved things in ICC events. It’s his last day with us; he taught me lots of things. I wish him all the best. We will all miss him a lot,” Zadran said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan also paid tribute to Trott, who will step down after the side’s run in the tournament ended. “I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a major role. It’s emotional to see him leave us, but that’s how life is. We wish him all the best, and somewhere down the line, we see him again.”
Asked about his disappointment in how the campaign panned out, Rashid said, “We were well-prepared, we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We’ll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward.
“A couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling, the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series. We have great spinners, good batters at the top, but that’s where we need to improve.”
Rashid also thanked fans who came to support the team in their matches. “Finally, a massive thank you to all the fans who supported us in Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Delhi. The love we received made us feel like we were playing at home in Afghanistan. We’re truly grateful for the support everywhere we’ve gone. Please keep backing us, we’ll keep working hard and do our best to entertain you.”
Canada skipper Dilpreet Bajwa acknowledged his side’s shortcomings but praised the exposure gained. “It was great to see that camaraderie out there. I’ve played franchise cricket with Azmatullah Omarzai – we were on the same team – and he’s a very good friend of mine. I’ve also played with Noor, and most of the players know each other through franchise leagues. That’s the beauty of the game today, it builds strong bonds beyond international cricket.”
Asked about where things went wrong, Bajwa said, “It was a tough day for us. We started well after winning the toss and choosing to field, but I think our finishing with the ball wasn’t up to the mark. That’s something we need to improve going forward. In the chase, losing early wickets made it difficult, especially against quality spinners, as we knew that would be challenging.”
Reflecting on the positives from the tournament, Bajwa said, “Overall, it was a good tournament for our players. Yuvraj Samra showed the world that Canada has real talent, and players like Ansh Patel, Harsh, and Navneet also performed well. Individually, there were positives, but as a unit, we didn’t click.
“This World Cup was a valuable learning experience, and we’ll come back stronger. Playing in front of 16,000 fans here in Chennai was special, the atmosphere was fantastic, and we’re thankful for the support. It’s been a tough campaign, but we’re looking forward to doing better in the future.”
–IANS
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