ICC T20 World Cup: In sports, the manner of defeat can sometimes hurt more than the defeat itself. Afghanistan discovered this cruel truth in Ahmedabad last week when what appeared to be a comfortable chase of 188 against South Africa disintegrated in the space of a few deliveries, and they lost the game they had in their grasp via a double Super Over.
Now, after thorough introspection in a four-day break, Afghanistan need a comprehensive victory in their Group D encounter against the UAE at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday morning to save themselves from an early exit from the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup.
The two teams have met 14 times in T20Is, with Afghanistan winning 11 games and the UAE emerging victorious in three matches. They have never previously met in an ICC T20 World Cup, making Monday’s encounter their first meeting in the tournament’s history. In their last five encounters, Afghanistan have a 4-1 edge over the UAE, something which should soothe the Rashid Khan-led side.
Having reached the semifinals in the 2024 edition of the showpiece event, Afghanistan’s defeats to New Zealand and South Africa have left them requiring not just victories but a favourable constellation of results from other matches – the kind of mathematical combinations that tournaments occasionally provide but are rarely fulfilled.
More concerning than the results, however, has been the pattern of the losses. The South Africa match, in particular, was not one in which Afghanistan were outplayed throughout but rather they relinquished control at a critical juncture in Ahmedabad.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz had looked imperious at the crease and looked set to take Afghanistan to their first victory of the competition. The target was well within reach for Afghanistan before the collapse came, and the side, who seemed destined for success, ended up being second best.
The priority of Afghanistan’s think tank will be to iron out their batting concerns and stem the pattern of back-to-back dismissals and the insane pressure it creates. The necessity for a batter to assume responsibility for stabilising the innings when wickets fall rather than persisting with relentless aggression will also be on their mind.
It represents a subtle but potentially significant shift in philosophy for a side that has built its reputation on audacious and fearless stroke-play. In this scenario, Gurbaz’s good form, especially when under pressure, could prove to be decisive not just in Monday’s match but also for the slim hopes Afghanistan have of progressing beyond the group stage.
The bowling, particularly at the back-end, has also emerged as a significant vulnerability for Afghanistan. They have conceded 72 runs in overs 17-20 of this competition at an economy rate of 12.3, among the highest in the tournament. Only Oman and Canada have been more expensive in this phase than Afghanistan.
Afghanistan will desperately need veteran batting all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, to rediscover his finishing prowess, while requiring seam-bowling all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai, their highest wicket-taker in this World Cup with four scalps, to control his economy rate. Omarzai has conceded more than 40 runs in two matches at an economy of 10.3 and was expensive in the Super Over too against the Proteas.
Meanwhile, the UAE arrive with renewed confidence after securing their second-ever Men’s T20 World Cup victory – a five-wicket triumph over Canada at the same venue on Friday evening. They chased down their target with two balls to spare after scoring 56 runs off the final 22 deliveries, with their death-overs batting composure being a major standout.
Senior pacer Junaid Siddique’s maiden five-wicket haul (5-35), the first five-for by a UAE bowler in T20 World Cups, was one of the pillars in a memorable UAE victory. But more significantly, opener Aryansh Sharma’s unbeaten 74 and Sohaib Khan’s blistering 51 showcased that the UAE has serious batting muscle beyond big-hitters – captain Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu.
In T20 cricket, momentum shifts quickly. Afghanistan learned this in the harshest possible manner against South Africa. On Monday morning in New Delhi, they have an opportunity to prove they can shift it back in their favour by getting the better of the UAE or be forced to make an early exit from the tournament.
When: Monday, February 16, 11:00 AM IST
Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
Where to watch: Star Sports Network for live TV broadcast and JioHotstar for live streaming
Squads-
UAE: Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma (wk), Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Mayank Kumar, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Haider Shah, Rohid Khan, Sohaib Khan, and Simranjeet Singh
Article Source: IANS
