Focus on world cup preparation for Afghanistan, admits Rashid

Rashid Khan, the Afghanistan skipper, said that he is not too worried about the result of the upcoming T20I series against Bangladesh as the focus for the team is on the upcoming ICC T20I World Cup more than anything else. However, he insisted that the team is not taking the series lightly.

Afghanistan, who are preparing to play in the series in Sharjah, failed to go past the group stage in the recently-concluded Asia Cup.

"I think every game is very competitive. It is not like we did not play competitive cricket in Asia Cup. For us, each and every game is competitive. We are not here just to have fun, enjoy, and then go back. We have a target, and the target is how we are going to be a perfect and balanced side for the next World Cup and that's the mindset from now on," Rashid told reporters ahead of the opening game against Bangladesh, scheduled to be played on October 2.

"We haven't played much T20Is as a team to be honest. Before the tri-series, the last we played was in the World Cup which was seven-eight months ago. But to get back from that, gather as a team, it does take time. But it is good for us," he said.

"From now on, losing doesn't matter that much for us, but we can get better as a well-prepared side for the World Cup, that is the target. If we win now, and we don't win in the World Cup, for me, that's more upsetting," he said.

"But if we lose now, and we get better and stronger for the World Cup, I think we win there. That's huge. If you see before the 2024 World Cup, we lost so many games. But we came back and we went to the semifinals and that was a huge achievement for us," he said.

"In 2023 World Cup, we lost three back-to-back games to Pakistan in the bilateral series, we lost the first two games to India and Bangladesh, and then we beat the best sides - England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. So, there is always something we need to learn from it. And that's for us is a challenge and a target as well."

"We always play to win the game. Yes, we lost in the Asia Cup, which was something we prepared for a lot, but that's the nature of the game. You always learn from your mistakes, and this series is a good opportunity for us to gather and have a good preparation for the upcoming World Cup. The main focus is on how we are going to be perfect for the upcoming World Cup," he added.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh skipper Jaker Ali said on Wednesday that losing Litton Das ahead of the crucial match against India and Pakistan cost Bangladesh heavily in the recently-concluded Asia Cup.

Litton missed the last two games of the Super Fours that Bangladesh lost by 41 and 11 runs respectively, and as a result, were ousted from the tournament.

"Litton's news was a bit harsh for us. He was the skipper and he was doing really well with the bat. So that cost us in the Asia Cup," Jaker told reporters in Sharjah. "But we move forward and keep looking forward to do well."

Jaker added that they are hoping to perform better as a batting unit in the upcoming T20Is series against Afghanistan.

"Our main plan will be to perform as a batting unit, as we had to suffer due to our batting. That's why we have to pay our attention to the batting," said Jaker.

"Winning matches is more important than playing modern cricket. Whether you play modern cricket or normal cricket, it is important to win matches. So, our focus is on winning matches. Afghanistan have a good side. They have good quality spinners. It is going to be a good series and we are ready for it."