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Afghanistan skipper Nabi blames losing early wickets for loss
Canberra: Afghanistan skipper Mohammad Nabi rued losing too many wickets upfront as the main cause for their loss against Bangladesh in a Pool A World Cup encounter here Wednesday.
After restricting Bangladesh to 267 in their fifty overs, Afghanistan suffered a devastating start to their run chase losing their first three wickets with only 3 runs on the scoreboard.
The innings failed to take-off thereafter and they were bowled out for a paltry 162 in 42.5 overs. The only bright spots in the innings were knocks from Nawroz Mangal (27), Samiullah Shenwari (42) and Nabi (44).
“We lost too many wickets early, but Nawroz and Sami batted well. Not a good start in the World Cup,” said Nabi at the post match presentation ceremony.
The 30-year-old credited his bowlers for their performance and also praised Bangladesh batsmen Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan.
“First 35 overs we bowled well, especially fast bowlers but Mushfiqur and Shakib played very well and took the score to 260. We hope to play well in the next match,” he said.
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Sunil Gavaskar gives his opinion of GT allrounder Rahul Tewatia
The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.