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Afghanistan's Gulbadin Naib plays a shot during the Asia Cup Cricket match between Bangladesh and Afghanistan at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
On August 31, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake claimed the lives of more than 2,000 people in Afghanistan’s Nurgal District in Kunar Province. Ahead of their crucial match against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup, Afghanistan allrounder Gulbadin Naib said that they want to win the tournament to bring some joy to the country.
“Because of the situation that happened in Afghanistan, the earthquake, in which many people lost their lives…if we remember it again, it’s a little bit painful. Because it’s very difficult, there are not so many facilities in the country. But still, it will be a very happy occasion for us, for our people, if we won this tournament. We can give them some happiness,” Naib told PTI Videos in an interaction.
Anything can happen in T20Is
The 34-year-old also said that even if there are plenty of good teams in the tournament, in a format like T20Is, anything can happen.
“There are no favourites, especially in T20 cricket. It depends on the day and how you play. If the day is in your favour, you can beat any side. In my opinion, there are good teams in the tournament — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, even the UAE and Hong Kong. Everyone is playing good cricket,” he said.
With their recent loss to Bangladesh, Afghanistan’s road to the next round got a little trickier with the team needing an outright win against Sri Lanka if they hope to qualify.
“Every day when you play with a good team, basically you have a good option for the next day. Because you are playing with them. But it’s a big tournament, there are big teams. So every day is a new day,” he said.
Naib admitted that the sweltering heat here has made life tough for spinners, including Afghanistan star Rashid Khan.
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“There is a lot of sweating. The hands are totally wet. I’ve seen bowlers like Rashid Khan. It’s very difficult to bowl in this weather.
“Maybe in Dubai and Sharjah it will be effective for the spinners, but not that much in Abu Dhabi,” he said.
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