Afghanistan is in a difficult predicament to win their forthcoming match against Sri Lanka in order to secure a Super Fours spot at the ongoing Asia Cup 2025. This do-or-die encounter, the 11th in this year’s continental championship, will take place on Thursday, September 18, at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Their head coach, Jonathan Trott, stated ahead of the match that Rashid Khan’s side will have their work cut out for them on Thursday.
Trott is optimistic, and most importantly, confident, about his approach to the match against the Lankan Lions. He also understands the anguish caused by the tight loss in Tuesday’s thrilling last-over match against Bangladesh. However, the team has moved on from that game and has their goals in sight for the following encounter, which will determine their fate in the 2025 edition of the premier event.
“We are very optimistic (against Sri Lanka). We have played two games here and if we win on Thursday, we go on top of the group. There’s plenty to play for. There is disappointment but we have to dust ourselves off. There are ups and downs. You have to make sure you have to ride those waves, Trott was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
We have to bounce back on Thursday. If we can win well, it gives us a lot of confidence. There’s plenty to play for. We should have played better, but we have to pull our socks up for Thursday,” he added.
For the Afgans, the side has shown a great degree of promise, but only a win in tomorrow’s clash can help them extend their stay in the United Arab Emirates. They will be heavily reliant on their opening pair, especially the in-form Sediqullah Atal, who started with an unbeaten 73 in the opener against Hong Kong. However, the knock was followed by a duck in the next, which is something he would not want to repeat in Abu Dhabi.
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