The Afghanistan coach believes that teaching Gurbaz that every game isn’t a T20 is the key to his ODI development.
Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott enjoys seeing Rahmanullah Gurbaz stand still and whack the ball. Gurbaz’s career-best 145, with one game remaining in the three-match ODI series, consigned Bangladesh to a 142-run defeat. Afghanistan scored 331 for 9 in 50 overs, thanks to a 256-run opening stand between Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, who both hit a century.
Gurbaz hit 13 fours and eight sixes in his 125-ball innings, and he was incredibly destructive in his final 25 balls, scoring 45 runs. Afghanistan increased the speed of their innings during that period, hitting 69 runs in six overs leading up to Gurbaz’s removal in the 37th over.
Trott stated that Gurbaz and Ibrahim were a great match.
“He [Gurbaz] can score from anywhere on the field,” Trott added. “He rushes it at times and thinks every game is a T20.” The longer Gurbaz bats for us, the better our chances of winning. I was certainly pleased with how [the opening combination] progressed, particularly the shots they played. It was undoubtedly on a ground where good bowling may create some pressure. It had a little bounce to it.
“After looking at the weather, we decided to bat first if we won the toss.” There had been no rain. There was less grass than in the last games. Gurbaz played in his naturally aggressive manner, and Ibrahim provided an excellent foil on the other side. Gurbaz didn’t have to be concerned about a fresh batsman at the other end. It was a good kind of dovetailing. “I was pleased with my first 35 overs.”
Trott says Gurbaz doesn’t need to be concerned about his technique. All he has to do is stand tall and trust his instincts. “I think it was about Gurbaz being as still as possible at the time of release,” Trott explained. “Sometimes he moves. A gifted player like Gurbaz can get caught up in technique rather than simply watching the ball.
“It’s about making the game as simple as possible with Gurbaz’s hand-eye coordination.” It’s all about keeping things simple in your head and technically. He’s put in a lot of effort, so hopefully, he can back it up in the third ODI.”
Zadran’s progress has also impressed the coach, who believes the opener is mature for his age. His two hundred and two fifties against Sri Lanka drew attention, and he hit 100 off 119 balls against Bangladesh, batting until the 46th over to guarantee his team reached close to 300 runs.
“He [Zadran] is perfect,” remarked Trott. “He’ll get better as he gets older.” He displayed maturity in the knock when he realized Gurbaz was attacking. Sometimes, as a young player, you want to imitate it to escape your small bubble. He needed to stay to the conclusion. We might have gotten lost if he got out as well. He deserves credit for a terrific inning.”
Afghanistan’s ODI series victory came on the heels of a humiliating Test defeat to Bangladesh last month. Five hundred forty-six runs defeated them after only 39 and 36 overs in the two innings.
“I arrived in Bangladesh disappointed with how the Test went,” Trott admitted. “We learned as a group. We realized how far Bangladesh has come in all aspects of the game. We needed to be at the top of our game to compete here.
“It’s critical that we concentrate on the next game as well.” We can’t get too worked up or excited. We cannot rest on our laurels if we want to progress as a team in preparation for the Asia Cup and World Cup. When it comes to tournaments and Cups, you must keep winning.”
Afghanistan bowled well as well to protect their total. Bangladesh lost three wickets in a row, the first three for 25 runs, the second three for seven runs, and the last three for 30 runs. Trott thought Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman gave Afghanistan a good start with the ball.
“Fazal struck out in the opening over. “You want to get off to a good start with the ball defending 330,” Trott added. “You can sometimes give the opposition a solid start. The manner he [Farooqi] and Mujeeb bowled was incredible. On this wicket, I believe we learned how to bowl. Hopefully, we can put that to use in the third game.”
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