Even though their rise in world cricket has been one of the inspiring stories to look forward to, it is high time that Afghanistan now deliver in tournaments like the World Cup. Despite the promise, they have for some reason not been able to translate the same into performances in tournaments of international repute which is what they would be looking to amend when they begin their World Cup campaign on Saturday (October 7).
The most recent example of their inability to convert their promise into performance was their campaign in Asia Cup 2022 where they yet again were knocked out of the Group stage. In their World Cup campaign in India, however, Afghanistan, would now look to go one step further and challenge the heavyweights after earning their rights to play in the tournament on the basis of their ranking and not having to play the qualifiers in which two former champions were part of- West Indies, who could not participate in the tournament for the first-ever as well as Sri Lanka- who won the qualifiers to secure a place for themselves in the final.
Let's try and do a SWOT Analysis of the Afghanistan squad in World Cup 2023.
Strengths
a) A potent spin attack
Afghanistan have a potent spin attack at their disposal. While everyone knows what the likes of Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi are capable of, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad are also there in the side which will give the skipper a lot of variety to choose from and go to. On conditions where there is a hint of spin and against an opposition which has a hard time against spinners, Afghanistan will fancy their chances of closing the game and getting the two points on the board.
b) Experience in India
It should be highlighted that for a long time, the Afghanistan players practiced in India. Moreover, quite a few of these players play in the IPL with Rashid Khan and Nabi being regular participants in the league. They know several of these Indian stadiums quite nicely and that would be a huge plus especially as they plan their World Cup campaign. Should their batters and pacers deliver, Afghanistan will believe that they can pull off a great show in World Cup 2023.
Weaknesses
a) Inability To Handle Pressure
Afghanistan have managed to produce moments of brilliance against some of the heavyweights in world cricket but where they lack is how they react to pressure. In a world cup fixture against India too, Afghanistan had kept themselves in the game but in the end, it was Mohammed Shami's hat-trick that put India on top. Top teams have the ability to close out games, something which Afghanistan would look to inculcate as a side as they move forward in their journey of improving as an ODI unit.
b) Batting
For all that one might say, their batting lacks the depth. They do have the likes of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Najibullah Zadran but they rely heavily on Nabi in the middle order barring which they fail to have the kind of depth which teams strive to have in modern-day cricket. The side should be aiming for a total which is bigger than the sum of their parts implying if their batting can fire together as a unit, then this would be a completely different-looking Afghanistan side especially in these conditions where their spinners will get some assistance at least on selected venues.
Opportunities
a) Script The Perfect Underdog story
Afghanistan find themselves in with a chance to script the perfect underdog story. No one really expects them to get to the final four but then they have everything to win from such a scenario and nothing to lose. They have come a long way already but it is time they take the next step forward and give a tough fight to some of the favourites for a place in the semifinals.
Threats
a) Lack of Big Tournament temperament
Afghanistan have done well in bilateral cricket competitions, better than their outings in World Cups be it the ODI cricket or the T20 format. One of the major threats that have come back to haunt them is that they don't get to play World Cups or know the pressure of rubbing shoulders against the best in the world over the course of a tournament featuring several teams with different strengths and weaknesses. They have less international experience overall as well and hence even though their journey till here itself is remarkable, they wouldn't a period of stagnation where they continue to qualify for World Cup on merit but fail to do well in the tournament.
Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen ul Haq.
Afghanistan Fixtures:
| FIXTURE | DATE | VENUE |
| Afghanistan vs Bangladesh | October 7 | Dharamsala |
| Afghanistan vs India | October 11 | Delhi |
| Afghanistan vs England | October 14 | Delhi |
| Afghanistan vs New Zealand | October 18 | Chennai |
| Afghanistan vs Pakistan | October 23 | Chennai |
| Afghanistan vs Qualifier 2 | October 30 | Pune |
| Afghanistan vs Qualifier 1 | November 3 | Lucknow |
| Afghanistan vs Australia | November 7 | Mumbai |
| Afghanistan vs South Africa | November 10 | Ahmedabad |
Titles- 0
Prediction: Despite Afghanistan gaining reputation as a side that can challenge any other side on a given day, they might struggle to find a place in the semis.