T20 World Cup 2021: Swag and strut is all fine; a little more prudence will take Afghanistan a long way

Afghanistan are among the most successful Twenty20 sides. With 60 victories in 89 internationals, they boast a success percentage of 67.42. As with statistics, that only tells half the tale. Against England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka combined, they are 0 for 11. Among Test-playing nations, they have more wins than losses against only Ireland (14-3) and Zimbabwe (11-1). Of the established T20 sides, they have stretched just two-time World Cup winners West Indies, winning three of seven head-to-heads. The youngest Test nation from Asia has featured in the main draw of every Twenty20 World Cup since 2010 but won just seven of 19 games. A mere two have been against Test teams, both in the 2016 edition when their spinners strangulated West Indies and Zimbabwe on massively responsive tracks in Nagpur. [caption id=“attachment_10119001” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Despite showing a lot of promise, Afghanistan have consistently fallen short against Test-playing nations. AP Photo[/caption] There’s no doubting the fondness and affection Afghanistan court from countless followers worldwide – not just their own supporters but men and women and boys and girls who enjoy the sport, who seek entertainment and who are entranced by their style of play. There is an old-world, almost amateurish slant to their approach. They don’t necessarily play to win; they go out to express and enjoy themselves, have fun. Make no mistake, they are as competitive as anyone else, but they don’t allow victories and losses on the cricket field to define them. They are free spirits, ambassadors of the sport, the epitome of how T20 cricket markets itself. As endearing as these traits are, Afghanistan won’t be unaware that they need to start doing more if they aspire for better, more consistent and meaningful results. Alongside Ireland, they are the latest entrants to Test cricket and will take time to find their feet in a format that challenges, tests and humbles the most experienced sides. But while they enjoy that license, they need to make subtle but meaningful changes to their T20 game, post-haste. Their template is simple, straightforward and unmysterious, unlike many of their bowlers, notably Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rehman – bat first, tee off from ball one, keep going at fourth gear, post a reasonable total and let their spinners work their magic. Unsurprisingly, they sport a better win percentage batting first (69.09, 38 wins in 54 games) than when chasing (62.86, 22 wins in 35). That skew will start to balance itself out the more the play; however, for them to redress their record against the ‘bigger’ teams, they need to add smarts and prudence to their uber-aggressive, hell-for-leather armoury without compromising their inherent swag and spunk. This World Cup best illustrates Afghanistan’s travails in a tournament of this magnitude. They started the Super 12s spectacularly, sweeping Scotland and Namibia aside by following their preferred blueprint. Both Associates had no answer to the marauding Afghan batters even on slow tracks; they were also clueless against the high-class spin emanating from the wrists and fingers of a versatile bowling attack with leggie Rashid the leader of the pack and the canny Mujeeb the most successful. That, however, was as good as it got. Their three remaining fixtures ended in heartbreak, at the hands of Pakistan, India and finally New Zealand, in Abu Dhabi on Sunday afternoon. There were signs of promise, maturity and poise against Pakistan until they ran into a tartar in Asif Ali , but the two subsequent matches showed how much distance Afghanistan have to traverse to rub shoulders with the best on an equal footing and not hope for the rub of the green to go their way to facilitate the odd upset. Who knows, if the Pakistan defeat can catalyse a change in Afghanistan’s approach – they must continue to remain aggressive because that is their identity, but they also have to imbibe situational awareness and learn to hold themselves in check when required – then this World Cup might be their best campaign yet. From 76 for six, they rallied to post a competitive 147 without damage, thanks to a fantastic alliance between current and former captains Nabi and Gulbadin Naib. With not much batting to come, the two experienced heads milked the singles and twos, played the percentages superbly and yet seldom missed a chance to put the bad ball away. For the likes of Hazratullah Zazai and Mohammad Shahzad, the trigger-happy openers, the 19-year-old Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Najibullah Zadran, there was a distinct lesson if they were willing to learn – even in T20 cricket, there is more to run-making than only through boundaries. Afghanistan defended that total with tigerish resolve, fired up by the prospect of a rare win against the team they most covet victory over. For 18 overs, they kept Pakistan on a tight leash and picked up wickets to push the equation up to 24 needed off 12 deliveries. Then, Asif happened. Like a whirlwind that makes a fleeting appearance but leaves untold damage in its wake, he smashed Karim Janat for four sixes in six deliveries, blasting his side over the line with an entire over to spare. You could sense the fight seeping out of Afghanistan, for perhaps the first time in history. They failed to recover from that blow, keeling over to India and New Zealand without a fight. The second of those losses might be particularly disappointing because Afghanistan went into that game with their semi-final prospects still alive, if only just. Nabi won the toss and they batted by choice, it was an afternoon game and so the chances of dew handicapping their spinners was non-existent. Yet, all Afghanistan managed was a paltry, modest, singularly inadequate 124. Another 25 runs could have been decisive, but Afghanistan refused to heed the warning signs and slipped into familiar self-destruct mode, heightened by exceptional Kiwi catching and terrific captaincy from Kane Williamson. The profusion of natural, uninhibited, fearless resources at Afghanistan’s disposal is jaw-dropping. The potential for ultimate glory, especially in the shorter formats, is immense. If only. If only they marry romanticism with tempered aggression, the sky is truly the limit. R Kaushik is a Bengaluru-based freelancer who has been writing on cricket for 30 years. He has reported on more than 100 Test matches and is the co-author of VVS Laxman’s autobiography, 281 And Beyond.