Afghanistan’s fall from grace continued in Sharjah as they suffered a humiliating 3-0 whitewash at the hands of Bangladesh in the T20 series.
The series defeat brutally exposed the gap between expectation and reality for a side once tipped by many as Asia’s second-best team behind India. Those lofty claims, fuelled by pundits and social media hype, now look misplaced after Afghanistan failed to reach the Super Four of the Asia Cup and were outclassed again in Sharjah.
Head coach Jonathan Trott did not mince his words after the latest setback. “We are not the second-best team in Asia at the moment. Social media and media discussions are not always accurate. We need to get better and improve,” he admitted. “I want us to be the best, but there is still work to be done.”
Afghanistan never looked capable of competing in the series decider. Sent in to bat, they stumbled to 143 all out as Bangladesh’s bowlers, led by Nasum Ahmed and Mohammad Saifuddin, piled on the pressure. The chase was one-sided, with Saif Hassan smashing 64 not out from 38 balls to finish the job in style.
Trott described the display as “disappointing” and “a bad defeat”, acknowledging that changes are inevitable as the World Cup looms. “A few players were unavailable so we gave opportunities to youngsters. But we need to start winning matches again. The tri-series in Pakistan at the end of November is a chance to put things right,” he said.
The Englishman also rejected suggestions that conditions were to blame. “We have won plenty of matches in recent years. We simply did not play good cricket,” he insisted.
Rashid Khan was one of the few positives for Afghanistan, but Trott admitted his captain cannot carry the side alone. “Every international team worries about Rashid because he can take wickets anywhere. But his performance must inspire the rest. Confidence across the team is what matters.”
For Afghanistan, the talk of being Asia’s second power has quickly unravelled. For Bangladesh, the 3-0 clean sweep was another statement of intent ahead of the ODI series beginning on 8 October.
