How are you feeling for today’s game?
Every game is exciting, the boys are excited. Unfortunately, we yet to win a single game. So we go for 100 per cent in today's game. World Cup, every game is important for us. So really excited for today’s game.
How has Mujeeb been in this tournament?
He has something — like his bowling the last couple of games was missed. So then in this World Cup, and he's back on his form and back with — if you look at his last three, four games he bowled well but lost momentum, especially his bowling grip. Now the last four games he did well for the team. So hopefully today he will be giving 100 percent.
What happened to Aftab?
Some discipline issues. We have already given the press release. And also we have a discipline committee. So the issue is in the discipline committee.
What went wrong with your World Cup campaign?
We’re excited to qualify for the World Cup. It’s a dream from Afghanistan perspective and the 2019 World Cup. So it's a dream come true, because it's a big event. So every team is like not like a associate country team. We're excited. Hoping a lot for Afghanistan. But to be here, if you start to — also hope the journey will go well. But like if you start not so well, so a lot of things were going wrong in the campaign or the journey. So we didn't give it as best — we didn’t — but if you look the last three, four games we played well, but at the start we didn't give our 100 per cent, like the first four games. So everything is totally different, like you can see especially the pitch is totally different. So we didn't expect it. So we did something wrong there. But hopefully we have the next two games, we have to finish this campaign on a good note.
Can Pakistan offer a challenge?
It’s cricket. No team is easy. We beat Pakistan in a World Cup warm-up game. If you look at similar conditions, certainly in our favour, it’s good for our spinners. Then after we played four games, it’s totally different. Like the pitch is totally different. We are practicing different wickets and the match is with different wickets. We’re not expecting it. But Pakistan, I'm not saying — Pakistan is a good side. They played a good last three, four games. They gave it 100 per cent. But it’s cricket. So today is a day for also Pakistan trying to continue the momentum to a good campaign. And we are trying to finish our cricket World Cup campaign on a good note.
Pakistan batsmen are playing well against the spinners…
Haris Sohail played well the last two games and also Babar Azam. But Rashid is a different spinner, is a different bowler, like other spinners. So it’s really difficult to pick him. And in this World Cup I didn't see Rashid at his best — but he's trying to give it his best in this tournament. But tomorrow I think his day, so it’s really difficult for anyone, not just a Pakistan batsmen. Pakistan batsmen doing well last three, four games, but Rashid is trying to give his 100 per cent and trying his best for — this is the World Cup. Everyone just wants to give his best performance. So hoping for this. And so if Rashid is there it’s difficult for everyone, not only the Pakistan team.
Which Pakistani players are on target?
No one especially. But everyone just is giving their 100 per cent. Every player, every team just trying to do as best but we are not trying to target anyone. We hope we finish our World Cup campaign on a good note. Pakistan doing really well the last two, three games. We’re just trying to finish this campaign on a good note.
Courtesy: © ICC Business Corporation FZ LLC 2018