T20 World Cup | Jonathan Trott’s press conference after the loss against South Africa
It’s not like Afghanistan hasn’t suffered heartbreaking losses before. ODI World Cup 2023 defeat to Australia after Glenn Maxwell’s Wankhede heroics likely cost them a place in the semi-finals. The 2024 FIFA World Cup semi-final defeat to South Africa was more sobering, but there was hardly anything the Afghans could have done differently in that defeat. Maybe only one thing – their bowler selection in at least one of the Super Overs. Rashid Khan, their talisman for years and still regarded as one of the best in T20 cricket, interestingly chose to stay away from the action.Rashid is someone who played in Powerplay for fun. However, in both losses in this World Cup, the superstar failed in the first six overs. His decision to avoid the Super Over pressure cooker was a bit puzzling, more so as South Africa opted for Keshav Maharaj in the second Super Over.
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Rashid, who brought many memorable moments to Afghanistan, nobody asked why he stayed away. Even coach Jonathan Trott was not forced to face the question, but the question remains, is Rashid still the bowler he used to be?The question is apt as the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is a pitch that the bowler knows like the back of his hand. Rashid plays for Gujarat Titans in the IPL and has vast experience in Indian conditions. He took 2-28 during South Africa’s chase and was Afghanistan’s most economical bowler in 20 overs. Most importantly, no other bowler in his team creates the fear factor like he does.Yet Azmatullah Omarzai was asked to bowl the second Super Over and the 24 conceded by the medium pacer made the task immensely difficult. But one player who still fought back from it was Rahmanullah Gurbaz.Gurbaz’s three sixes off Maharaj showed his strength of character as they followed his 42-ball 84 during the chase in Afghanistan.The 24-year-old has been a mainstay of the Afghan batting line-up for quite some time now.Coach Trott felt that a talent like Gurbaz’s should come up with more such performances.“It’s probably the best innings I’ve seen him play and it’s unfortunate he couldn’t get us over the line. With the amount of talent, physicality, athleticism and natural hand-eye coordination he’s got, it’s all about going forward for him now.”“He wears his heart on his sleeve, and over the years I’ve tried to get him to be a little more consistent in everything he does,” Trott said.Over time, it will be interesting to see if Gurbaz gets more responsibility, takes over from Rashid and turns Afghanistan into a team that can deal with crunch moments a bit better.