Asia Cup 2022: Afghanistan Team Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths and Weaknesses Of Afghanistan Team: The Asia Cup 2022 is just around the corner and the preparations are on. The teams have reached the UAE where the tournament is set to take place.

In this article, we will discuss how Team Afghanistan is likely to perform, analyze its strengths and weakness, and their possibility to win the cup…

If there is one team that has seen a fair share of struggle in their way to just playing cricket that team is surely Afghanistan. From playing at grounds away from their homeland be it India or UAE, Afghanistan has come a long way and has made its mark in international cricket.

With the way the team plays and the talent it has, it feels like the boys are naturally built to play cricket and if given enough opportunity and backing they will flourish like no other. In the past few years, we have seen big names coming from the small nation which has made them a popular team. Players like Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi are exceptionally talented and wanted by leagues around the world.

Since the 2021 T20 World Cup, Afghanistan has had a fair amount of ups and down. They lost ODI series against Bangladesh but leveled the T20I series giving them tough competition. Against Zimbabwe, they clean swept both ODI and T20I series. It was a shocker though that against Ireland, in the 5 matches T20I series, the team lost 3-2. Their team form thus says LWWLL in the last 5 matches they have played.

A culmination of a few experienced players in the young talents adds up the Afghanistan squad. The individual talent is immensely gratifying but the team together hasn’t been able to do much against giants of the game. Rashid and Nabi are the highlights of the team.

Strengths and Weaknesses Of Afghanistan Team

Strengths:

1. Rashid Khan in any squad is a boon. He has played with and against most players in Asia and knows their strengths and weakness quite well.
2. An experienced captain who has good understanding of team will benefit them.
3. A strong lineup of big hitters make up majority of the lineup. If they sustain their wickets, it will help them score big totals.
4. Their base camp has been UAE for a long time so they are well aware of the playing conditions.

Weaknesses:

1. The international exposure is quite less for most of the players which will come in way while playing against big teams.
2. They will miss a specialist fast bowler which has been missing in their side for quite long.
3. Too much pressure on key players.

Matchup Reviews: Predicted Wins and Losses for Asia Cup 2022

Afghanistan is in a group where they have a chance to make things interesting. It is likely that they can turn the game around against any of the teams be it Sri Lanka or Bangladesh who themselves are going through a bit of a struggle. Their chances to play semis are decent. If they play with intent and go ahead with one match at a time, they can emerge as a team that can turn around the predictions.