Published: Feb 20, 2019, 11:00 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 20, 2019, 10:42 PM (IST)
A day before their three-match Twenty20 series kicks off in Dehradun, Ireland skipper Paul Stirling has made it clear that there’s more to the Afghanistan team than just Rashid Khan. (ALSO READ: Afghanistan vs Ireland 2019, 1st T20I, LIVE streaming: Teams, time in IST and where to watch on TV and online)
Stirling said that he and his team know what Afghanistan can bring to the table.
“I think Afghanistan have gone better in the T20 stuff of late, though we know what they bring,” Stirling was quoted as saying by The Cricketer.
“They have very good spinners and a batting line-up that really comes hard against us. We know what to expect, we’ve played them a lot in the recent past and we hope to get off to a good start come Thursday,” he added. (ALSO READ: Afghanistan drop Mujeeb Ur Rahman for Ireland Test, Mohammad Shahzad not picked for T20Is)
Stirling then went on to discuss how the Asian side has more to them than just Rashid.
The 20-year-old cricketer, who tops the chart of all-rounders and placed second in the ranking for bowlers, is the numero uno bowler in the T20I cricket and is one of the most sought-after players across the global in a various Twenty20 leagues. (ALSO READ: In Afghanistan, nothing but cricket can bring such a smile: Rashid Khan)
“Rashid Khan has been the main difference between the two sides in the recent past,” said Stirling.
“Whenever he performs well for them, or we don’t play him particularly well, I think that really is a big advantage for Afghanistan, so he’ll definitely be one of the bowlers we’ll be trying to negate but they’ve got more than just Rashid Khan, they’re a really good outfit,” he concluded. (ALSO READ: Rashid Khan has made an impact on current generation of legspinners: Sandeep Lamichhane)
Afghanistan are hosting Ireland in India for a Test, three Twenty20Is and five one-day internationals.
