Lahore: Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi acknowledged the confidence gained from experts' praise but stressed the importance of staying grounded to compete successfully at this level.
Afghanistan were given high praise even before their tournament started, with many cricketing voices backing the Asian side to make the final four of the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025.
However, as they prepare for the all-important contest against England following a loss to South Africa, skipper Shahidi acknowledged that his side needed to focus on producing results on the pitch.
"Yeah, it feels good when legends and cricket experts talking positive about you and your team. So that gives you confidence but at the same time, if someone talks and says that doesn't mean that we will do well," he said.
"If they say we will qualify for the semi-final, we have to work hard for that on the ground," Shahidi said.
He highlighted the tough competition in the Champions Trophy, where Afghanistan are against the top sides in world cricket, an ICC report said.
"As I said, there are quality teams in the Champion Trophy, the world's top eight-ranked teams. So it's a tough challenge to face each other. These things give us confidence but at the same time, we have to work hard on the ground and have to play our best cricket on the day if we want to beat these teams," Shahidi said.
Afghanistan had a disappointing Champions Trophy debut, suffering a heavy 107-run defeat against South Africa.
Analysing the performance, skipper Shahidi was asked whether it would be more effective for Afghanistan to put runs on the board first and then use their superior bowling attack to stifle the opposition.
“I think when we bat first, that gives us more chance," Shahidi acknowledged. "But at the same time, we beat teams in the last World Cup batting second too. And after that in the [bilateral] series also.”
He highlighted how the lack of support for the spinners in the conditions made it difficult for Afghanistan’s bowling unit to contain the South African batters.
“In the South Africa game, I think the wicket was a little bit supportive for the fast bowling,"
Shahidi said.
Shahidi also believed Afghanistan's batting lacked the punch in the first 20 overs.
"And when our spinners were bowling, there was no support for them. I didn't even see one ball turning. So we didn't play well, especially in batting. We didn't start well in the first 20 overs," he
said.
"At the same time, it's not an excuse, but the world knows that we have good spinners,” Shahidi
said.
Afghanistan famously defeated England in the 2023 Cricket World Cup, pulling off a major upset.
Shahidi acknowledged that while they will draw confidence from that victory, the upcoming encounter is a fresh start, and they will give their all to replicate the result.
“In 2023 we had a good game against England and we beat them. We have that confidence with us but that's part of the history," he said.
"And now we have to go to ground with a new mindset and with new planning. I think we all know that England is one of the best teams. It's a tough challenge for us but we are ready for any kind of challenge," Shahidi added.
