Afghanistan Watch | Post 2023 World Cup

[Kriterion_BD]

The Afghans really surprised a lot of people by winning 4 games at the world cup (vs England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands), and came agonizingly close vs Australia, and had they beat a pitiful Bangladesh...they'd have stormed into the semi-finals.

But the question is, are Afghanistan really that good?

They've just gotten smashed by a very average Sri Lankan outfit 6-1 across formats, and they had all their key players except Rashid and Mujeeb.

Time will tell how they go. They've got a full series at home against Bangladesh this summer and that will be a very good measure of where they stand.

[sloandog]

I think they're an excellent side, but they just need to play more, much like a lot of the lower ranked sides. I really rate their batters and they have a few exciting seam bowlers coming through, coupled with their plethora of mystery spinners.

They just need to learn to bat time. Some of their top order seem drunk on T20 cricket and it's showing

[eugene]

I think Afghanistan are one of those teams who can beat pretty much anyone but also lose to pretty much anyone. Given the circumstances in Afghanistan, I'm curious how they'll keep developing cricketers. Presumably they are relying on local coaches at a domestic level as foreigners would have little interest in living in a caliphate?

[Kriterion_BD]

I think Afghanistan are one of those teams who can beat pretty much anyone but also lose to pretty much anyone. Given the circumstances in Afghanistan, I'm curious how they'll keep developing cricketers. Presumably they are relying on local coaches at a domestic level as foreigners would have little interest in living in a caliphate?

I'm sure its all local coaches. Which renders the argument that guys in Zimbabwe can't develop due to a lack of quality coaching, broken infrastructure, low quality balls unbelievable because surely the infrastructure and coaching is better than whats available in Afghanistan.

And technically Afghanistan is now an "Emirate", not a caliphate. I've heard they are modeling their society on places like Alabama and Texas...guns for all, abortions for none, and no immigrants wanted