ICC T20 World Cup 2024: Afghanistan Will Play T20 WC Semi-Finals, Predicts Asghar Afghan

The Afghanistan cricket team had a wonderful campaign in the 2023 ODI World Cup as they were able to taste victories against big teams such as England, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan whereas they were on the verge of defeating Australia. The Afghani team under Ibrahim Zadran is preparing hard for the next ICC event which is the T20 World Cup 2024.

The tournament will be played in the West Indies and USA from June 2, and Afghanistan are part of Group C with top T20I sides such as West Indies and New Zealand part of their group. With a total of 20 teams playing in the tournament, the top two teams from each of the four groups will advance to the Super 8 stage of the competition.

Former Afghanistan cricketer Asghar Afghan believes that Afghanistan should play the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup. While speaking to Times Of India, Afghan stated that the Afghani spinners will play a crucial role for the team in the tournament and they will find the same kind of conditions as it is in Asia. Asghar added that in the USA and West Indies, the ball comes late on the bat which can prove to be an advantage for Afghanistan.

Asghar Afghan backs Afghanistan to play T20 WC 2024 semis

Asghar Afghan said, “Afghanistan should play the semi-final of the T20 World Cup because, in the USA and West Indies, they will find the same sort of conditions as it is in Asia. There, bowlers get spin, and the ball sometimes comes late on the bat. And that could play to our advantage.”

“And with the kind of results they got in the ODI World Cup, Afghanistan should definitely play the semi-final of the World Cup. But they need to work extremely hard for that. And if they could believe in themselves, nothing is impossible for Afghanistan.”

Afghanistan will be touring India for a three-match T20I series and the team will be led by young batsman Ibrahim Zadran. The team contains the likes of players such as Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rashid Khan, and Naveen-ul-Haq.

The Afghani team are playing a T20I series in India for the first time and will want to perform well in the series and give tough competition to the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team. The T20 World Cup 2024 on the other hand will be another chance for the Afghanistan team to make its place in the top teams of the world.

Afghanistan are coming into the series by defeating the United Arab Emirates by 2-1 in the three-match T20I series. The first match of the IND vs AFG T20I series will be played at the PCA Stadium in Mohali on January 11.

This is the first time a total of 20 teams will be participating in the T20 World Cup. Afghanistan will have a tough job in their hands, to make it to the other stage of the tournament with the presence of teams such as New Zealand and the West Indies.

West Indies on one hand are the two-time champions whereas New Zealand qualified for the final in 2021.