ICC World Cup 2019 | SWOT Analysis - Afghanistan
SportsCafe
Afghanistan are one of the most exciting teams to have played the World Cup. They are almost rank outsiders, but no one will stick their neck out and say the team doesn’t have it in them to upset the apple cart and secure a few wins along the way. Such has been their progress over the years.
The Asia Cup 2018 was not going to be a path-breaking one for Afghanistan. Despite Sri Lanka’s fall, almost to a point of making themselves a caricature, Afghanistan might’ve believed it to have secured only a couple of wins in the tournament, but tying a game against India was beyond the realms of fantasy. However, those performances, which were in steady supply for a few years now, gave rise to the belief that they can be the giant-killer in any tournament and a team with the right mind will never count them off on any day.
However, their scrappy run following that tournament and the selection committee's sudden decision to replace Asghar Afghan with rather-inexperienced Gulbadin Naib resulted in the confirmation that there is a limit to their capabilities. The instability will talk - no matter the result against Pakistan in the Bristol warm-up - and how far they can go in the tournament is anybody’s guess now.
Strengths
One wouldn’t just be fussed about to write about Afghanistan’s biggest strength after giving a simple look at the squad list. The spin triumvirate of Rashid Khan, Mohammed Nabi, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman are as good as anyone in the world and they hold the key in England. Although the English tracks have acquired the reputation of being flat and out and out batting-friendly surfaces, the flatness of the surface means the rise of more cracks in early summer conditions of England.
Rashid, a bowler primarily relies on his ability to impart drift and top-spin on a regular basis, will find it more suitable to his strength. His wicket tally since the 2015 World Cup is only next to Adil Rashid, but the Afghan leggie has a lower economy rate and strike rate than the Englishman, which makes him the biggest strength of the side. With Nabi and Rahman being regular in T20 leagues around the world, it is only apparent to guess that they can be equally effective to complement Rashid.
Their batting unit also gives them much to rejoice. Despite having a fragile top-order, who have averaged just 30.28 combinedly since the last World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, they have enough firepower in their team to ensure a very good start. Take opener Hazratullah Zazai for example. Nicknamed as “the Afghan Chris Gayle”, Zazai has the ability to hit huge sixes and in his short ODI career, he has a strike rate of more than 100.
Zazai scored the second highest total at an international T20, by smashing 16 sixes in an unbeaten 162 against Ireland and he holds the potential to unlock a great strength in the Afghan line-up for the World Cup. Rahmat Shah is a quality performer for Afghanistan and his role in anchoring the innings and the ability to pronounce himself in a self-assuring manner will be the calming presence the team desperately missed in the big-ticket games in the past.
Weaknesses
Their pace bowling unit balances out the flaws in their spin bowling unit and if the past performances are anything to go by, they are in for a hard time in the United Kingdom. The pace trio of Hamid Hassan, Dawlat Zadran and Aftab Alam are veterans on the circuit, but their recent form points to the fact that they are pretty much not in sync with the rigours of World Cup. Hassan, who was the posterboy during Afghanistan’s breakthrough years, doesn’t have those 90mph induckers anymore which had made him an instant cult hero overnight in 2010 and 2011. That will be the cause of concern as Zardan and Alam found it hard in the first warm-up game.
Opportunities
As has been proven in the past, nothing matters more than experience in the grandest stage of the sport. Fair enough, Hassan is not in the same form as he was in the past, then an Afghanistan fan may point finger at me and say, “Did you just see the way Hassan operated in the Bristol warm-up game”. The gather run of streaming energy, with the bandana giving him a distinct look, Hassan made the ball talk and don’t be surprised if the cricket-turned-commentator-turned-cricketer-again made you sit and take notice. He has the opportunity to do it and is certainly capable of it too.
Threats
Just ahead of the World Cup, Afghanistan Cricket Board decided to change the leadership of the ODI side, making Gulbadin Naib the skipper in place of eponymous Asghar Afghan who had been the captain for all three formats for almost four years. There was a lot of protest against the selection, but as the fire cooled down and the preparation began, Naib declared that he would listen to his team. But, having never led any senior side in his life, it is just surprising ACB took such a step. Considering Afghanistan are slated to play nine games, he may gain a lot of experience but can he actually deliver? Your guess is as good as mine.
SportsCafe Best XI: Mohammad Shahzad, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Noor Ali Zadran, Gulbadin Naib (capt), Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Dawlat Zadran, Hamid Hassan
The Squad: Gulbadin Naib (capt), Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
