ICC World Cup 2019 | Darling, you are going down with us, Gulbadin Naib warns Bangladesh ahead of today’s game
Gulbadin Naib had a few cheeky words to say about playing rivals Bangladesh next in the World Cup. Bangladesh, who are still in contention for a semifinal spot, was given fair warning of being taken down along with them, by an improving Afghanistan side as they meet in Southampton.
With two wins to their name, Bangladesh maintain a realistic chance of making the semifinals if they win their remaining three matches. But rivals and already-eliminated Afghanistan have warned them with the famed old Urdu line: "Hum to doobe hai sanam, tumko lekar doobenge,” which translates as, “We are already drowning darling, but we’ll take you with us.”
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, skipper Naib admitted that Bangladesh have performed well at the ongoing World Cup, repeatedly crediting their in-form batting lineup.
"I know Bangladesh also have showed their skills in this tournament, how they played, and they chased 320 against West Indies,” he said.
But, his own team have seen an uplift in performances over the last two games. Although they got hammered by England when they bowled, the Afghan batsmen showed composure to bat 50 overs against a sharp English attack. They then followed it up with a brilliant performance that almost handed India a shock defeat.
Key to the improving performances have been the conditions at The Rose Bowl in Southampton, which has brought their spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi into the game.
"You saw against India. India has the best batting attack all over the world. So if the wicket helps our spinners, maybe it's very difficult for everyone, not only Bangladesh," Naib said.
Afghanistan have not won a single game at the World Cup so far. The skipper puts it down to the lack of experience playing against the big teams and unexpected pitch conditions.
"We struggled a lot in these conditions in the first three or four games. The surface and the wickets are totally different. We didn't expect it. It's totally different in the last two games. It's a very good wicket for us especially,” the Afghan skipper said.
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