SKIPPER: PLAY WITH COURAGE

AFGHANISTAN captain Mohammad Nabi said his team will shrug off political and travel turmoil to thrive at the T20 World Cup by remaining true to their philosophy of “daring cricket”.

Since the return of the Taliban in the country, Afghanistan briefly faced the possibility of being banned from the tournament if the women’s game was discontinued. Then star spinner Rashid Khan stepped down as captain before visa issues placed yet another familiar hurdle in the path of the resilient Afghanistan team.

All-rounder Nabi agreed to replace Rashid at the helm and played down the turmoil plaguing the team.

“The team is brilliant, they have been preparing for the last one and a half months,” said Nabi. “There was a struggle on visas, so they didn’t arrive in the UAE early. They were practising in Qatar.”