The opposing chase was extended to the 19th over by the Afghan spinners, who were led by Rashid, despite the fact that England knocked out Afghanistan for a pitiful 112 runs on Saturday in Perth.
“First game for the guys. A different environment for all the youngsters in the team. First time playing in Australia and the conditions, facing the bowlers with speeds of 150 plus, so great learning for them,” the leg-spinner claimed.
“But definitely we will come back. Some promising talent is there. We are going to be much improved in the upcoming games. Batting is the area we need to work on.”
Next up for Afghanistan is a Wednesday match against New Zealand in Melbourne.
Sam Curran, a left-arm quick bowler, became the first English bowler to capture five wickets in a Twenty20 international as Afghanistan’s batsmen struggled.
As Afghanistan was out in 19.4 overs, Ben Stokes and Mark Wood, whose express pace reached speeds of over 150kph (93mph) at points, both claimed two wickets.
Along with fellow spinners Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rashid produced fantastic statistics of 1-17 in his four overs as they attempted to contain England, one of the tournament favorites.
With his mysterious spin, Mujeeb managed to dismiss Dawid Malan, then off-spinner Nabi dismissed Stokes for two before Liam Livingstone led England to victory with an unbeaten 29 off 21 deliveries.
“The way we bowled it showed anything between 150-160 will be a good total for us,” Rashid remarked.
Fazalhaq Farooqui and Fareed Ahmed, two left-arm quick bowlers for Afghanistan, are dependent on the spin to prevail in games.
Rashid claimed that his teammates Mujeeb and Nabi would be able to use their Big Bash League playing expertise to their advantage.
“It’s just about the conditions you adjust yourself to. You understand what is the right length and right area to ball on that wicket,” Rashid commented. “We have five to six years of experience in the Big Bash. So we have that in the mind and need to keep it simple.”
Earlier this year, at the Asia Cup T20 tournament in the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan shocked Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
After losing a thrilling last-over match to Pakistan, they were denied the final position, and Rashid claimed Afghanistan could defeat anyone on their best day.
“You don’t know with T20, what’s going to happen to any team. It’s not like someone is strong, someone is very weak. you have seen in the qualifiers that West Indies were knocked out,” claimed Rashid.
”Anything can happen, it’s just about having the positive mindset and having the self-belief that yes we are capable of beating any side. ”
