In their last Super-12 match of the T20 World Cup 2022, Afghanistan suffered a heartbreaking four-run loss to Australia despite Rashid all round performance brilliantly. At 103 for 6, Afghanistan was in danger when the legendary all-rounder took over. Rashid’s 23-ball unbroken 48 sparked expectations that his team would write history, but it wasn’t to be.
Rashid, however, didn’t simply display great character while holding the bat; he also had to get through a near-injury scare. Rashid injured his knee only a few days earlier when attempting to rescue a boundary in the match against Sri Lanka, raising questions over whether he would play against Australia. Jonathan Trott, the head coach of Afghanistan, commended Rashid’s competitive (Rashid all round performance) spirit and pointed out that he was prepared for the match.
Coach urges batters to ‘take responsibility’ and give Rashid Khan some help
“I stated yesterday that we were training, and I said welcome to Rashid Khan’s home” (Rashid plays for Adelaide Strikers in BBL). Rashid, we appreciate you hosting us, Trott remarked at the news conference. And he has performed admirably throughout the competition. I recall talking to him after the type of tumble he had toward the conclusion of the previous game, and he said, “There’s no possibility I’m missing this game; I’m playing 100 percent.” That describes the kind of person he is. That kind of character is what we want on a team, and I enjoy having them on the teams I’ve coached.
In addition to his apparent talent and skill, he also sets a high bar for all athletes throughout the world, not just the Afghan boys, with his attitude and work ethic. He deserves all that he receives, so credit to him, he continued.
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Additionally, Gulbadin Naib played well, scoring 39 runs, and he and Ibrahim Zadran put up a third-wicket partnership of 59 runs to keep Afghanistan in the game. Unfortunately for Afghanistan, they lost their following three wickets for only three runs after he was removed. Trott emphasized that Afghanistan has occasionally suffered from a lack of “situational awareness.”
“I think it’s a good game to watch for the neutral. And I think it showed the skill and the talent of the players we have got, but also sometimes the awareness, situational awareness that we lack in parts. And I think we saw it against Sri Lanka and we’ve seen it again tonight. I think against England, England played really well and didn’t allow us to get away, really. I think you always come away from a T20 game, you always want a little more. It’s the type of game it ebbs and flows, the momentum of the game. That’s what you had tonight.