• Home
  • Cricket Analysis
  • Gurbazs Horrible Form And Major Concerns For Afghanistan Despite Win Vs Hong Kong In Asia Cup

Gurbaz's Horrible Form And? Major Concerns For Afghanistan Despite Win Vs Hong Kong In Asia Cup

Debashis Sarangi

Afghanistan players after their victory vs HK [Source: AFP]Afghanistan players after their victory vs HK [Source: AFP]

Afghanistan had a magnificent start to their Asia Cup 2025 journey, swatting aside Hong Kong comfortably by 94 runs in the first match of the tournament. Batting first, Afghanistan posted a massive score of 188 runs before their bowlers' collective effort helped them restrict Hong Kong to a paltry 94-run total. 

Despite their clinical win, several things didn't fall in place for Afghanistan in the inaugural encounter. Here are three major concerns that Afghanistan would like to address ahead of their second group-stage game against Bangladesh. 

1) Rahmanullah Gurbaz's Poor Form

Criterion
Data
Innings6
Runs106
Average17.67
Strike Rate111.57

(The dip in Rahmanullah Gurbaz's form)

  • Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been an integral member of Afghanistan's T20I side, having amassed 1789 runs at a decent strike rate of 132.8. He has played 72 T20Is, being one of the most experienced players in the Afghans' setup. 
  • However, the swashbuckling keeper-batter has been struggling with form for quite a while now. He managed only 98 runs in the UAE Tri-Series and was dismissed for eight runs against Hong Kong, extending his lean patch. 
  • Gurbaz's abysmal form has made Afghanistan over-reliant on the young shoulders of Sediqullah Atal and Ibrahim Zadran. Gurbaz plays as an aggressor; so, if he gets dismissed early, Afghanistan's scoring rate in the powerplay gets affected. 
  • Therefore, Gurbaz must step up in order to strengthen Afghanistan's top order and ensure a good start for them in the upcoming matches. 

2) What Is The Role Of Karim Janat?

  • Karim Janat has been given a consistent run by the Afghanistan think tank despite failing to live up to the hype. Overall, the cricketer averages just 17.5 and strikes at 118.6 in T20Is. He hasn't been phenomenal with the ball either, managing 42 wickets at a modest average of 27.6. 
  • Thus, Karim Janat is slowly turning out to be a liability for Afghanistan. In a crucial tournament like the Asia Cup, a team must realise the importance of allotting a precious slot to its players. With Janat's performance not meeting the expectations, it's high time Afghanistan should rethink his place in the team. 

3) Spin-Hitting Prowess

Criterion
Vs Spin
Vs Pace
Balls
6654
Runs75112
Average2537.34
Strike Rate
113.63207.40

(Afghanistan's stats vs pace and spin against Hong Kong)

  • Afghanistan were successful as a batting unit against Hong Kong, scoring 188 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs. However, upon taking a close look at the scorecard, we can realise that the Afghans capitalised on Hong Kong's depleted pace attack while failing to up the ante against their spinners. 
  • Statistically, the Hong Kong spinners registered an economy of 6.81, scalping three out of six wickets in eleven overs. Although Afghanistan compensated for their spin woes with magnificent pace-hitting, they might feel the heat against big teams that have a better fast bowling department than Hong Kong. 
  • So, the Afghans must work on their spin-playing prowess, especially considering Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have more formidable bowling attacks that can keep them under the pump in the upcoming games.