NEW DELHI
Skipper Eoin Morgan vowed that England would not take lowly Afghanistan lightly in a must-win World Twenty20 tie on Wednesday after exiting their last two major tournaments with egg on their face.
England's 2014 World T20 campaign ended in an embarrassing 45-run defeat against the Netherlands while a disastrous showing at last year's 50 over World Cup was capped by a chastening loss to Bangladesh. Morgan's side will hope to record a resounding win against Afghanistan on Wednesday in New Delhi as they seek to up their run rate in a tight group but the captain said there would be no taking victory for granted. Speaking to reporters on the eve of the match, Morgan recalled the "horrific" feeling in the dressing-room at the time of the Dutch debacle but said the atmosphere was totally different after Friday's morale-boosting victory over South Africa. "Our priority is on winning. Tomorrow is a big game and we are certainly not taking Afghanistan for granted. First and foremost we need to get into that game with the right mindset," he said.
"I think Holland was a unique set of circumstances, I think we were already out of the tournament. We went into the game with a particularly wrong mindset," he added. "Disappointment of getting knocked out of the world cup is horrific, so coming into this game we are really fresh." Although Afghanistan have lost their two matches in the group stages, they caused South Africa a fright on Sunday with a brisk start to their run chase, with opener Mohammad Shahzad scoring 44 in just 19 balls. "I think they are a dangerous side. They have played a really exciting brand of cricket," said Morgan.
"We watched the early stages of the tournament when they played and qualified, played some really good cricket. And we watched both games, South Africa and Sri Lanka. "I think he (Shahzad) is a good batsman but I think it will be rude of me to single out any batsman... I think as a side they can be quite strong and very destructive." Morgan said England were considering bringing in Liam Dawson as a third spinner alongside Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid on a pitch that is expected to offer more turn than Mumbai, the venue of England's first two games. Although Afghanistan are effectively out of the tournament, skipper Asghar Stanikzai said his side was determined to leave India with victory against a major team under their belt.
"We have played good cricket and looking to play well against England as well," he said. "There will definitely be pressure on England ... We are eager to win at least one match in next two. The guys are playing to win."
Afghans have talent, just need more games: Inzi
Afghanistan's cricketers must have more exposure to top-flight opposition if they are do justice to their undoubted talent, Pakistani batting legend Inzamam ul Haq said on Tuesday.
After defeats against Sri Lanka and South Africa in their first two group matches in the World Twenty20, Afghanistan's latest adventure with cricket's big guns is drawing to a close. But even if qualification for the semi-finals is now all but impossible, they have won new fans by giving South Africa a fright and still have an opportunity to spring an upset against England on Wednesday night.
The Afghan team's progress in the last few years has been one of cricket's feel-good stories but after the highs of competing in last year's 50 over World Cup and the World T20, they have no immediate fixtures against major teams on the horizon once they leave India. Inzaman, who was appointed Afghanistan's coach last October, said his charges had done themselves proud after qualifying for the group stages by seeing off more established teams such as Zimbabwe and Scotland.
"It feels good that people are appreciating Afghanistan. Boys have worked hard. We have qualified for the world cup and played good cricket," said the former Pakistani skipper in a press conference. "Okay, we have not been able to win a single game, but have played good game. So if we improve a level, we can win. "This Afghanistan team has got all the talent, they just need more exposure. The more they play international cricket, the more their talent will improve." In Sunday's match against South Africa, Afghanistan were 105 for two at one stage in pursuit of the Proteas' total of 210 although they were ultimately comfortably beaten after a flurry of wickets.
ENGLAND (FROM): Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, James Vince, David Willey
AFGHANISTAN (FROM): Asghar Stanikzai (captain), Amir Hamza, D Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid Hassan, Karim Sadiq, Mo Nabi, M Shahzad, Najibullah Zadran, Noor Ali Zadran, Rashid Khan, S Shenwari, Shafiqullah Shafiq, Shapoor Zadran, Usman Ghani.