Afghanistan captain Rahmat Shah believes his side will have an edge over Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in the upcoming tri-nation series in the United Arab Emirates, citing their familiarity with local conditions as a key advantage.
The series begins in Abu Dhabi on October 17, with all three teams looking to build momentum ahead of their upcoming assignments.
Afghanistan recently faced Bangladesh in a one-off Test in Abu Dhabi, and Rahmat said the team would draw confidence from that contest. He also pointed to their extensive experience playing in the UAE, particularly in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, as a reason to consider them favourites.
“I think Afghanistan would be the favourite team here because we’ve been playing all our games in the UAE and the majority of the games in Abu Dhabi or Sharjah. So, I think we have more advantages considering the home conditions here,” Rahmat told reporters in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
The Afghanistan skipper was careful not to underestimate the other two sides, saying Bangladesh and Zimbabwe had also prepared well for the tournament.
“I would not say that they are not good teams, but, yeah, all the teams have prepared themselves well for this event and, yeah, it’s going to be a good event,” he said.
Afghanistan will also have two of their biggest names back in the squad, with Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi expected to strengthen the side. Rashid was rested for the recent Test against Bangladesh as part of workload management, and Rahmat said the return of both experienced players would be a significant boost.
“Both the players, Nabi and Rashid, are world-class players and they have proved it to everyone. Especially Rashid Khan, whenever we have played any Test games in which we have won, he’s been a major cause for it because he’s always achieved the benchmark of receiving the Man of the Match award,” he said..
