T20 World Cup: Jonathan Trott after Afghanistan beat UAE
Rashid Khan, a leader in the dressing room and one of the most experienced players in the format, stressed the need to keep our heads up or be set back “one or two years”.Dinner also helped. The unit devoured Peshawari food including Dal Bukhara (Dal Makhani) and Tandoori Chicken to “vent their anger”. It’s understandable that Afghan troops miss home-cooked meals as they travel from country to country and are deployed away from home.Ever since Afghanistan became a full member of the ICC, they have never played at home and have been using different training facilities to prepare for big events like the T20 World Cup. From Dehradun at the start to Sharjah now, Afghanistan have never found a home base.
Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz reacts after losing his wicket during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Afghanistan and South Africa (PTI Photo)
“What we miss a lot is home food to be honest. We go all over the place, we don’t get Afghan home food and that is something we are struggling with,” Rashid said on the eve of their match against UAE at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.“Also, I feel like we have enough people around the team who keep us the best company, and we don’t really miss home. Also, wherever we go, we get so much love from everyone, and that’s something that doesn’t even allow us to feel like we’re not at home.”“But sometimes you feel like you miss home. You want to have your own crowd, people rooting for you, but unfortunately we don’t have the opportunity to play in front of that crowd. But it’s still harder.”“Professional cricket, you have to deal with all that and not think too much about all these other things. I mean, what are we here for; we have to put that thing first. And there are people who don’t go home for five, 10 years. We’re lucky. After the tour, we go home and have a good time with the family,” he continued.
Fans cheer during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Afghanistan and United Arab Emirates at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. (PTI)
Delhi, which hosted Afghanistan’s last match in the ongoing T20 World Cup, has a sizeable Afghan population. There are pockets in the state capital – such as Lajpat Nagar and Bhogal – that refugees have called home for many years.Some of them marched to the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday morning with flags and some in traditional attire. Their presence and noise became even more important after the heartbreak the team suffered less than a week ago.As it turned out, the Afghan team needed every ounce of that positive energy to get past the UAE – winning by 5 wickets with four balls to spare – and keep their World Cup T20 Super Eight hopes alive. New Zealand are still favorites to seal second place from the group, alongside already qualified South Africa, if they beat Canada on Tuesday. That would make Afghanistan’s final match against Canada a dead rubber.
Rashid Khan bowling during the T20 World Cup match between Afghanistan and UAE at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. (Getty Images)
“Hope for the best. Yes, (we) still have a bit of hope, we can get to the next stage and we just have to come with a positive mindset (against Canada),” Rashid said after beating UAE, reiterating the need to remain optimistic. “The next match, you never know, it’s a T20 game, we’ll have to come up with a good brand of cricket. Even if we don’t make it to the next round, we want to play the same brand of cricket and make the country and our people proud and happy.”When I was already facing a heartbreak of gigantic proportions, when the demand in the chase of 161 runs vs UAE got tougher, the nerves started to creep up.Coach Jonathan Trott expressed pride in how the team turned things around, especially after suffering in Ahmedabad. “We’ve been under pressure (and) that makes me happy as a coach. I’d like it (to be) a lot easier. But at the end of the day, when you get on the right side of pressure situations … like if we’ve had the history of the last game, I’ve definitely seen a shift. We’ve lost close games like that and then it’s very difficult – it’s been difficult to pull it back, build confidence. cricket-wise but also mentally,” Trott said at the post-match press conference conference.After the win, their first tournament, the mood in the team hotel would be a little more upbeat. However, a trip to Lajpat Nagar for a home cooked meal would be unfathomable despite the reporter’s suggestions. For now, the Afghans can remain positive and hope that their stay in the Indian subcontinent will be extended.