What did Afghanistan’s cricket team do differently that allowed them to make such a spectacular run to the T20 World Cup semifinals? There are others who contend that the way their opening batsmen, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, performed allowed them to establish the groundwork for all of their historic victories. Others can mention the outstanding performances of Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi, who provided Afghanistan’s bowling attack a new dimension and superbly complemented their established spin strengths.
But one aspect of their strategy went largely undetected. Afghanistan played well together as a team and frequently in fiercely windy and howling circumstances. They fielded well both inside and outside the ring, applying constant pressure to the opposition.
Noor Ahmad’s outstanding catch, leaping forward at backward point to remove Glenn Maxwell at a critical stage in their Super 8 clash at St Vincent, highlighted this improvement in fielding. Oddly enough, eight months ago in Mumbai, the masterful Australian all-rounder produced a World Cup classic knock thanks to a lost catch. He was headed for an encore until Noor and Gulbadin Naib joined forces to stop him, setting up one of the most memorable nights in Afghan cricket history.
The ancient adage in cricket is that “catch wins matches,” and this time it proved to be accurate as Noor Ahmed lunges forward and nabs a low grab of Glenn Maxwell during Gulbadin Naib’s enchanted spell, just as the Australian was about to break their hearts anew.
Fielding was also vital in Afghanistan’s victory and semifinal qualification when the country successfully defended 115 against Bangladesh.
During that chase, in the eighteenth over, Taskin Ahmed and Bangladesh were denied a vital boundary by Farooqi, which would have taken the necessary runs to single digits. After Taskin was removed after two balls, Bangladesh’s position on the DLS sheet declined.
Fielding coach Shane McDermott told Cricbuzz that his squad and he would not rest on their laurels and that they still had a long way to go before reaching their fielding objectives.
“Making sure we had a clear plan with a focus on manageable elements in line with particular performance indicators was the first big hurdle. Following every performance, these metrics are routinely measured and reviewed. Although each person must gain the trust in our approach, the numbers as a whole demonstrate our outstanding off-ball efforts and opportunity-taking,” McDermott stated.
“We give the players all the credit for this [improvement in fielding], and we want to keep up this routine, no matter how big the game is. Being the greatest in the world is our aim, and we won’t stop working towards it. It’s well knowledge that skillful fielding can win a game. The players and management have fully embraced the challenge of getting better every day in the field and have given our fielding development top priority after witnessing signs of this in several recent performances.
“Our most recent match against Australia and the other competitors in the competition demonstrated this. We want to become the greatest fielding team in the world, and we think the players’ work ethic and attitude are fantastic,” he stated.
Following his recruitment by the Afghanistan Cricket Board in January 2024, McDermott joined the team for their series against Sri Lanka the following month. He and the other support staff members, he added, were building the team with an emphasis on fielding paratroopers. A measure of body language is included in the Key Performance Indicators. Additionally, they are making sure that particular players field in particular spots.
“Body language analysis is one of our aims and key performance indicators. We take great satisfaction in adopting an unafraid mindset and responding to setbacks with positivity. We’ve been able to manage stressful situations well because to this strategy,” McDermott added.
“When fielding, we want every member of our team to be able to contribute in every part of the pitch. But we also make sure that, in certain situations and against particular opponents, the right players are as often as possible positioned in critical zones, or hot spots.
The world’s top teams are able to adjust to a variety of situations, such as shifting angles on certain wickets, hot patches, wind, or dew during night matches. Throughout the competition, we have prepared well, concentrating on managing what we can and giving it our all each day. To offer ourselves the best opportunity of fielding both on the ground and in the air, it is imperative that we perform the fundamentals with accuracy.
McDermott also praised captain Rashid for his concentration on fielding and expressed his admiration for the way veteran players like Gulbadin Naib, Mohammed Nabi, and others accepted the challenge of helping the squad improve as a fielding unit.
“I’m happy to be a part of a team that is led by Rashid and Trotty [Jonathon Trott], as well as experienced players like Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, and Najibullah. They hold our younger players to a high standard in terms of mental and technical preparation, and our entire team puts up a lot of effort in the background to make sure players get enough practice to gain self-assurance and perform well under duress’, the manager stated.
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“Gulbadin and Nabi lead by example on the pitch and in preparation; they don’t require motivation to emphasise the value of fielding. The senior players know how important it is to make a lasting impression in our fielding, bowling, and batting efforts.
“Rashid constantly highlights how crucial our fielding unit is to the team’s success and how it affects our ability to put pressure on the opposition. He is a unique leader who has an impact on everyone on our team and in all facets of the game,” he remarked.
India
