KARACHI: Afghanistan’s wicketkeeper-batter Rehmanullah Gurbaz expressed gratitude to the fans who came to cheer for his side at Karachi’s national stadium and vowed to learn from mistakes after his team’s defeat to South Africa in the ICC Champions Trophy match on Tuesday.
Despite the loss, Gurbaz highlighted the overwhelming support from Afghan fans in Karachi, saying it felt like playing at home. Afghanistan, unable to host international cricket due to security concerns, has often played its “home” matches in the UAE.
“First of all, thank you so much to all the crowd that came and supported us. To be really honest, we did not expect that much crowd, but again, thank you,” Gurbaz said in the mixed zone after the match.
The Afghan cricketer also spoke about the support from Afghan fans, who turned out in large numbers at the Karachi stadium. With no international cricket played in Afghanistan, Gurbaz said the atmosphere made him feel as if the team was playing at home.
“I think we already feel it because the ground was almost full. We never played an international game in Afghanistan, but this was some feeling we got today,” he said. “I hope the time comes soon to play in Afghanistan as well. That will be a nice feeling.”
When asked about the team’s performance, Gurbaz acknowledged the need for improvement but emphasised focusing on the positives. “We are professional players. We know what we did and what we should improve for the next game. We just need to take the positive things from here and leave the negative behind,” he said.
Gurbaz admitted that the pitch conditions in Karachi were different from what the team had anticipated. Unlike the surface used in the Pakistan-New Zealand match, where the ball came onto the bat smoothly, the pitch for Afghanistan’s game against South Africa offered extra bounce and pace.
“To be really honest, it was totally against our expectation. We were expecting a bit slower pitch, but as professional players, we don’t need to make excuses,” Gurbaz said.
“This was the first time we saw a wicket like this in Pakistan, especially in Karachi. But we need to be prepared for such situations.”
Responding to questions about Afghanistan’s growing reputation in international cricket, Gurbaz dismissed the notion that their victories were mere upsets. He pointed out that the team has beaten almost every top cricketing nation, emphasising their status as a competitive side.
“People should take out of their minds that we do upsets. We’ve beaten every single team in the world. It’s not respectful to call our wins upsets,” he said.
Gurbaz identified Afghanistan’s bowling as their primary strength but also praised their batting, particularly Rahmat Shah’s performance in the match. “If there were other batsmen to support Rahmat Shah, we could have scored more,” he added.
Despite the heavy defeat, Gurbaz remained optimistic about Afghanistan’s chances in the tournament. With two matches remaining, he stressed the importance of maintaining a positive mindset and focusing on winning the next games to improve their net run rate.
“A strong team always comes back stronger. I believe that. We always come back stronger,” he said.
“We need to take the positive side from here and leave the negative behind. We still have a chance to go ahead.”
