ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2021

October 28, 2021

Rashid Khan

Dubai International Stadium

Afghanistan

Pre Match Media Conference

Q. When the two teams played in the 2019 World Cup, it was a match of high intensity. Fans had (indiscernible). Do you think this will be the same match of high intensity? And what will be your message to the fans of the two countries?

RASHID KHAN: Definitely it's always a good game against Pakistan, even when we played in 2018 in Asia. And also in terms of 2019 World Cup. But this game should remain as a game. I think it's a request to all the fans to stay cool and calm and just enjoy the game.

This game is all about the enjoyment. The more we just focus on the enjoyment, and as we have seen, this game, things happen, accidents happen. After the 2019 World Cup shouldn't have happened. But this is the kind of request to all the fans, whatever there is that comes at the end, at the end of the day this game gives lots of unity to the nations and brings nations together, not to have those kind of accidents.

So I hope, I hope they remain cool and calm and just focus and enjoy the game and who plays better on the day, that team wins. But even all the fans, we know how tough it is. But you still need to accept that. And as fans, they need to support a good side.

And I think this game is all about the enjoyment and bringing nations together, bring people together.

Q. Could you speak a little bit in general terms about the team's batting approach, please? Seems sort of similar to the one we've seen West Indies use and be successful with, not worrying too much about dots because your focus is on 6s; is that right?

RASHID KHAN: To be honest, like, we don't have that kind of mindset, like, you have to focus on hitting so many 6s. But you have to adjust yourself with the wicket as well, what is the reaction of the wicket, and as you go there and spend a bit of time there fair, especially on these tracks, then it becomes easier for you. And that's the kind of mindset all the batsmen have as well. Initially it's really hard to go and just start hitting success. That's what happened in the last couple of warm-up games against West Indies and also the main game against Scotland, that the openers took a bit of time in the middle and they read the condition and read the situation, and it's going high.

And it's all about targeting your own ball, you have to target that. It's not about just going across for every ball and hitting it harder.

I think we need to play good cricket as we have in the last two games. And whenever we get the opportunity to score some runs and we get the balls in our own zone, we, as a team, we have that planning that we just need to go there and finish it with full confidence. And that's something we should do.

It's not about getting to many 6s. These grounds are very hard to hit 6s. The wickets are not as good to hit the 6s, but still taking 1s and 2s and boundaries, that would be something which is very key.

Q. Could you speak a little bit about the situation back home in Afghanistan and sort of the emotions of this World Cup for you and the sport more generally?

RASHID KHAN: Things are getting better. Getting normal back home and hopefully that's something which we only hope to see much better in the future as well.

We as a team, we're here to play good cricket and give them the kind of performance and the kind of win that they could celebrate there. And that is something as players we have in our hand. And that is something we'll try to do in the whole competition to do better.

And give the kind of performances where they could have joy, cheer for and celebrate. And that's as a team we have the planning and I hope, I hope things get better with time.

Q. You said it's important to play well so that it brings smiles on the faces of the fans back home. But at the same time there's uncertainty about Afghanistan's future in cricket. ITC will be discussing this next month. Does it put pressure on the team; are you guys affected by this situation?

RASHID KHAN: To be honest, at the moment we don't have anything in the mind. We have only this thing in the mind that we're here for the World Cup and we're playing five games and we need to win three games.

And that is the theme we have in the mind as a whole team. And that's a theme that we have the quality and the skills in the team that we can qualify to the semifinals, and that's the only thing at the moment in the mind of each and every player.

We don't think about what's happening in the future. We don't think about what happened in the past.

And that is something which is not in our hand, it is not in our control, and we shouldn't think about it as well, that not even putting any extra pressure on us.

So as a team we know what is our job and what we can do. You can only do what is in your hand, and that is in our hand to play the five games of this group stage and try to qualify to the semifinals and make the country proud and proud. That is what we have at the moment.

We don't think about what's going to happen in the future. That will come with the time. And we as a player, we only focus on all the games. And that's the only thing we can do.

If we have so many things in the mind that might affect our performance, that might affect the team performance. And even the fans will be upset with that when you don't perform well.

As a team, we're just focusing on this World Cup to get better and better and qualify to the next round.