Chennai, February 19 Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team concluded the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exciting cricket, narrowly losing to South Africa in a tense second Super Over after the scores were tied, a thrilling match that provided one of the early highlights of the World Cup.
However, the spin bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant progress if they were given regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"There are a few areas to improve, particularly in the batting, where the middle order struggled against the bigger teams, and with the bowling, especially in the death overs. This happens when you play against stronger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeated Canada by 82 runs, with him himself having returned excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The veteran said the team had arrived well-prepared for the tournament and had produced some outstanding cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa was costly and a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), and we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa really hurt us. We needed to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We will take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to leave the team, Rashid described his departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. He played a key role in where we are now. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's just how life is. We wish him all the best and hope to see him again sometime in the future."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two underwhelming outings.
"I enjoyed it. I didn't play my best cricket in the first two innings, which I expected of myself. I wanted to back my skills and really enjoyed it. There was pressure, and it's always there. I wanted to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"I wanted to play positive cricket, rotate the strike, punish bad balls, build partnerships, and that's what I did."
