Captain: Rashid Khan
Match pairings: Uganda (4 June), New Zealand (8 June), Papua New Guinea (14 June), West Indies (18 June)
Best result at the T20 World Cup: Super eight.

Afghanistan go into the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup as one of the underdogs, according to their former coach Stuart Law, with the prospect of causing an upset and demonstrating their fearless brand of cricket.

The 2010 debutants have reached the Super 8 stage in each of the last three editions of the tournament – ​​a steady improvement on first-round exits in their first three attempts.

Law believes Afghanistan are not far from reaching the knockout stages and could do so at the 2024 edition of the tournament in the USA and West Indies in June.

“I love the way they play cricket. They approach it with no fear,” Law, who now leads the US team, told Al Jazeera.

“They are always aggressive, always attacking. I haven’t seen many defenders and the defenders don’t seem to be pushed into the main team very often.

“So they are approaching the matter very positively.”

They showed their determination in India late last year, where they finished just behind Pakistan in sixth place and failed to qualify for the semi-finals despite an inspiring run in the second half of the round-robin stage.

After only three appearances in the Cricket World Cup, Afghanistan finished ahead of former champions England and Sri Lanka.

This time they open their tournament campaign on June 4 against debutants Uganda, in a group that also includes New Zealand, co-hosts West Indies and Papua New Guinea.

“Strong and powerful boys”

Law, who coached Afghanistan in 2022, is convinced that the team led by Rashid Khan is ready to do more than just cause the odd surprise.

“They are all naturally gifted and have stature as well – they are strong and powerful big boys,” Law said.

“Sometimes you just need that intelligence to master certain situations.”

Afghanistan has one of the strongest bowling lines with top limited overs spinners Rashid, Mujeeb ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad in the team along with the highly experienced all-rounder Mohammad Nabi.

AfghanAtalan sweats as they prepare for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. 🤩📸#AfghanAtalan | #T20WorldCup | #GloriousNationVictoriousTeam pic.twitter.com/aJ42LJjyMl

— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) 26 May 2024

Law believes Afghanistan need to improve their batting to progress.

“Their hitting has improved with the addition of some younger players,” Law said.

Former Australian international highlighted Ibrahim Zadran as “one of the nicest players to watch”.

“He has learned a lot over the last few years and is starting to show some really positive performances in international cricket,” Law said.

“Afghanistan needs a few more batters who can grab the opponent by the scruff of the neck and pull them forward to do damage in major tournaments.”

Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the swashbuckling wicket-keeper and batsman, has shown that he has what it takes to support Zadran at the top of the batting order.

He will join the Afghan team after a spell of title-winning stints with his Indian Premier League team Kolkata Knight Riders.

Captain Rashid himself is a destructive middle-order batsman and has helped score near-game-winning goals on several occasions.

Rashid, Nabi and the other “big boys” will have to dig a little deeper into their pockets to advance to the knockout round.

Three players to keep an eye on

Rashid Khan: Arguably their biggest star and most important player, for Afghanistan to have a great World Cup, Rashid will need to shine as a bowler, lower order batsman and captain. The clever leg spinner is capable of stopping the onslaught of some of the world’s greatest batsmen.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman: Rashid’s spin partner and another lethal weapon in his arsenal, Mujeeb’s ability to stop the flow of runs early in the innings and help his side bowl opposition batsmen will be crucial on potentially spin-friendly pitches in the US and Caribbean.

Muhammad the Prophet: Nabi brings decades of experience to this Afghanistan side hoping to go one step further than their last three T20 World Cup appearances. His clean off-spin and responsible batting in the middle order can be a calming influence on his young teammates.