Former South African pacer Dale Steyn has praised Afghanistan despite them being on the verge of elimination in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Steyn backed Afghanistan to secure a win in an ICC tournament within the next decade but added that they need to improve their skills and patience.
Afghanistan had started their Champions Trophy campaign with a loss to South Africa. However, they secured a thrilling victory over England in Lahore. Their final group match against Australia, led by Steve Smith, at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday, February 28, was abandoned due to rain.
Feels Like the Afghanistan Players Are the Same – Dale Steyn
Dale Steyn recalled how players in the past improved their skills by playing county or first-class cricket. Steyn said that the Afghan players showed a lack of patience in their gameplay and added that they need to work on this to enhance their performance.
“Back in the day, a lot of players would go play county cricket or first-class cricket to improve their skills and patience,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Dale Steyn as saying.
“But in today’s fast-paced world, patience is in short supply. Even on social media, people struggle to watch a two-second clip. It feels like the Afghanistan players are the same when they play their cricket.”
They Want Things to Happen So Quickly – Dale Steyn
Dale Steyn said that the Afghan team’s aggressive style of play is exciting to watch, but it works against them. Steyn emphasized that Afghanistan’s cricketers would benefit from spending more time in four-day games. He believes that if they improve, they have the potential to win ICC tournaments.
“They want things to happen so quickly. This ball must be a wicket, there’s no patience to building up and taking a wicket. And sometimes, the batters are the same, they’re batting in the first over. There’s so much movement happening in the crease, so they’re trying to hit a six and they’re trying to get the game going,” Steyn added.
“I think a lot of them play T20 cricket around the world, which is great, it’s great for their pockets and it’s great for them to learn. But, maybe, spending some time in four-day games might help, because one-day cricket is essentially a shortened version of a Test match. It’s got its moments where T20 is applied.”
“But patience is one of the biggest things that Afghanistan players need to learn, and once they get that down, honestly, in the next decade, they could win ICC tournaments, for sure,” he continued.
Afghanistan’s Champions Trophy Campaign Shows Both Potential and Inconsistencies
The Afghan team players delivered an inconsistent Champions Trophy campaign. Ibrahim Zadran scored a brilliant 177 against England to help the team register their first victory of the tournament. Sediqullah Atal failed to convert his 85 runs into a century against Australia in the final group-stage match.
Star wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz had a disappointing tournament, managing only 16 runs in three innings. Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi scored 60 runs across three innings at an average of 20 and a strike rate of 50.
The Afghan team needs a miracle to advance to the semi-final of the tournament. They are hoping England defeats South Africa by a significant margin at the National Stadium in Karachi on Saturday, March 1.
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