KARACHI: Afghanistan cricket captain Hashmatullah Shahidi has expressed confidence in his team’s abilities ahead of their ICC Champions Trophy match against South Africa in Karachi. 

Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Shahidi spoke about the team’s preparation, fan support, and their aspirations for the tournament. When asked about the pressure of facing South Africa, given their past record of only two wins in five ODIs since 2019, Shahidi remained unfazed.  “Between 2019 and now, there’s too much difference,” he said.

“We recently beat them 2-1 in Sharjah, so we have that confidence with us. Shahidi also dismissed concerns about the team’s preparation, despite a loss in their warm-up match against New Zealand. Afghanistan captain highlighted the overwhelming support from Afghan and Pashtun fans in Karachi, calling it a source of motivation. “There are a lot of Afghans and Pashtuns here who support us. He emphasised that Afghanistan is not just participating in the tournament but is here to compete and win. “Our aim is to win the final. We are not here just to participate. We have played a lot of quality cricket over the last two years, and the boys are very experienced. These conditions suit us, and we have a good chance. Let’s start it from tomorrow and hopefully carry the momentum throughout the tournament.”