LAHORE: Afghanistan cricket team captain Hashmatullah Shahidi has expressed his team’s determination to defeat Australia, building on their stunning victory over England in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy.
Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Shahidi emphasised the high morale of his players following their win against England. “The morale of the players is high after the win against England.
However, Australia is a tough team. We will compete well and try to win,” Shahidi stated. Shahidi highlighted their goal of reaching the semi-finals by securing a victory against Australia. “We will reach the semi-finals by winning against Australia; that is our target,” he said.
“The match against Australia will be good. We will keep our plans simple. We have good spinners, and if we get a little bit of help, we can succeed against anyone.” He clarified that their strategy wasn’t solely focused on Glenn Maxwell but on the entire Australian team.
“We have not planned only against Glenn Maxwell, we have planned for the entire team. We are playing against Australia, not just Maxwell,” he said. “What happened in the past is history; now our entire focus is on tomorrow’s match. We have a plan against Australia, and we will implement it.”
The Afghan captain also acknowledged the unwavering support of their fans. “Afghan fans always support us; they supported us against England too,” he said. “We hope that spectators will come to support us in the match against Australia as well.”
