Afghanistan have always been heavily reliant on their spinners. But come the World Cup, they will have two young batting aces up their sleeves, raising hopes for a better outing than their previous ones in the tournament, writes Jo Harman. This article first appeared in issue 71 of Wisden Cricket Monthly, a World Cup special.
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As they enter their third 50-over World Cup, Afghanistan’s record in the tournament doesn’t make for pretty reading. They suffered nine consecutive defeats in 2019 and have just one victory to show from 15 World Cup fixtures, a one-wicket win over Scotland at Dunedin eight years ago.
There is justifiable cause for optimism though as they head to India. Firstly, conditions should play into the hands of their spin arsenal, with Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and the veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi supported by 18-year-old left-arm wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad. But, perhaps even more importantly, they have unearthed two attention-grabbing opening batters who have quickly built formidable records.
Ever since their emergence on the world stage more than a decade ago, Afghanistan’s attempts to consistently compete with the leading nations have been hamstrung by their lack of batting resources. The mercurial Mohammad Shahzad showed flashes of brilliance and Rahmat Shah has been a steady presence, but all too often the efforts of their bowlers have been undermined by a paucity of runs. Only once have they passed 250 at a World Cup, with seven of their 15 innings falling short of 200.
The emergence of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, a pair of 21-year-old right-handers who come out hard against the new ball, should go a long way to rectifying that.
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Gurbaz, who will also keep wicket in the tournament, is the more established of the two. An explosive opener in the style of his predecessor Shahzad, he signed for Kolkata Knight Riders for this year’s IPL and smashed 81 from 39 balls against a Gujarat Titans attack featuring his national teammates Rashid and Noor. Rashid came in for particularly heavy treatment, conceding two sixes and three fours to Gurbaz on his way to figures of 0-54, the leg-spinner’s second most expensive spell in his IPL career.
He has already notched five centuries in 26 ODIs, the most recent of those coming in August when he shared an opening stand of 227 with Zadran on his way to a stunning 151 against Pakistan’s first-choice attack.
“He sometimes rushes it and thinks that every game is a T20,” said Afghanistan’s head coach Jonathan Trott – a view backed up by the fact that 11 of his 26 ODI knocks have failed to reach double figures – but the former England No.3 knows he has a special talent on his hands. “He can score everywhere on the ground,” added Trott. “The longer Gurbaz bats for us, the more chance we have of winning.”
Zadran, who made 87 on Test debut against Bangladesh as a 17-year-old, is more traditional in his strokeplay but still looks to attack in the powerplay (his ODI strike rate of 84 is only a tick below Gurbaz’s). Described as “technically very correct and mentally very strong” by former Afghanistan head coach Andy Moles, he hit three tons in his first eight ODIs – including a national record 162 against Sri Lanka at Pallekele – before sharing an opening stand of 256 with Gurbaz (Afghanistan’s highest partnership for any wicket) to set up an impressive series-clinching win in Bangladesh in July.
Still in the formative stage of their careers, Gurbaz and Zadran already account for five of the top eight ODI scores ever made by an Afghanistan batter, and both will have their eye on becoming their country’s first ever World Cup centurion.
Having beaten Sri Lanka and Bangladesh already this year and come agonisingly close to claiming a first ODI victory over Pakistan, Afghanistan will have a spring in their step when they open their World Cup campaign against the Tigers on October 7.
Their lack of batting depth means semi-qualification is likely to be out of reach, but it would be a surprise if they didn’t bloody some noses in India, their record-breaking opening pair making them a considerably tougher proposition than in past tournaments.
This article first appeared in issue 71 of Wisden Cricket Monthly, a World Cup special.
