http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 World T20 - Afghan Pride under lights (Part 2) - Opinion
Kohli however, kept on peppering the bowlers and ensured that the odds of further damage were averted. He muscled his way to a half-century and the run rate eventually climbed beyond 7 for the first time in the game, in the 12th over. Yet beyond
Kohli’s detonation job, Afghanistan would not budge as they kept on bowling well. Their catching; however, was appalling to say the least, as both Kohli and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SK-Raina-c2539 were dropped. Those follies could have well been the difference between a historic upset
and a close encounter in the end and the captain of the team was wary about this fact. The dropped chances were the only bloats in an otherwise fabulous fielding and bowling effort from Afghanistan, where their seamers and spinners managed to restrict India
to 159 for 5 in 20 overs. At half time, it seemed as if the minnows were about to secure history and it definitely did go their way with the bat for the first half of their innings.
The openers went out there with a purpose in mind, and India’s bowling loopholes were exploited with impunity. Not a single reckless shot was played for the first three overs, yet when the ball was there to be hit, it was smoked with such impunity that it
left the crowd and the Indian bowlers, dazzled. One of the highlights of the match was when wicket-keeper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Shahzad-c77324 – nicknamed MS - smoked a helicopter shot off Zaheer Khan’s bowling over the leg side for a boundary, which lead to a wry smile from
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028. Some extravagant stroke play followed that left India dazed and desperate for averting what looked inevitable at one stage. Afghanistan kept on pace with the run-rate and ensured that things were in check. They middled almost every delivery
that came their way, and were only derailed when the spinners came on.
Yuvraj’s reputation as a partnership breaker was reinforced, as he managed to carve his way into the Afghan line-up. A few straight deliveries were not picked by the batsmen and horror struck the Afghan bench, when http://www.senore.com/Cricket/R-Ashwin-c2228 was introduced into
the attack. This duo ensured that any possibilities of a historic upset were averted, as they picked up crucial wickets, including the prized one of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Nabi-c77111, who was threatening to take the came away from the Indians at one stage, with his breathtaking
31 runs off just 17 balls.
Eventually, it all boiled down to the final overs, and the end result was a 23-run defeat for the minnows. It was a defeat however, that would send shivers down the Indian camp over the apparent frailties of their bowling attack. Afghanistan on the other
hand, could hold their heads up in pride, yet rue over the fact that had they taken those crucial catches, the script could have been different. They not only played like a competitive outfit but they had a chance of winning the game had it not been for their
blunders in the field. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/V-Kohli-c2737 rescuing them from a precarious situation, but the professionalism that was shown by Afghanistan stole the limelight on a historic night at the R. Premadasa Stadium.
Their ability to hit the right lengths throughout the game and field with such potency was more than a commendable effort. The difference in the end was the 10 to 15 runs that they leaked by bowling poorly at the death and dropping dollies. Yet barring these
failings on the field, Afghanistan were the better side for the most part of the game. They were a professional unit and no push overs, and their next encounter against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 would truly test them. Whether or not they would rectify their mistakes before
taking on the English could be anyone’s guess. For now however, it is all about yet another romantic chapter in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Afghanistan-c745’s meteoric rise in International Cricket.
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