Afghanistan skipper Rahmat Shah has identified his team as the favorites for the upcoming tri-nation series hosted in the UAE. With the tournament scheduled to commence in Abu Dhabi on October 17, Rahmat believes that Afghanistan’s extensive experience playing in UAE conditions, particularly in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, provides his squad with a crucial competitive edge over their opponents, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. So, I think we have more advantages considering the home conditions here,” Rahmat told reporters ahead of the tri-series in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
Reflecting on their recent one-off Test against Bangladesh, Rahmat noted that the team draws significant confidence from their performance. Despite facing a difficult position during the match, Afghanistan rallied to force a draw, a result the captain described as a major milestone. He praised his batters for their resilience in challenging heat, emphasizing that bouncing back when Bangladesh held the upper hand was a testament to the group’s character.
This momentum is expected to carry into the ODI format, with the return of star players Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi adding depth to the roster. Rahmat highlighted the impact of both players, specifically pointing to Rashid Khan’s history of delivering match-winning performances. The absence of Rashid during the recent Test was felt by the team, and his return is viewed as a substantial boost for the upcoming series. 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,” Rahmat said, especially Rashid Khan. As I mentioned earlier,” he added, they are world-class players.
While Rahmat respects the preparation of all participating teams, he maintained that the familiarity with local environments remains a primary factor. Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza shared a similar perspective during his media appearance, acknowledging that the host nation naturally holds an advantage. Having arrived in the UAE just two days prior, Zimbabwe is currently adjusting through training sessions, though Raza remains optimistic about the competitive balance of the tournament. But yeah, all the teams have prepared themselves well for this event and, yeah, it’s going to be a good event,” he said, i would not say that they are not good teams. And then, in the last one and a half days, the way the batters batted, credit goes to all the boys, especially the batters who batted well throughout, in the heat we were having there, we were struggling in between. So this is our second training session, we only arrived two days ago.
Raza noted that regardless of which team carries the ‘favorite’ tag, the tournament remains wide open. He stressed that success will ultimately depend on which team executes their game plan effectively, suggesting that all three nations possess a realistic pathway to the final.
Bangladesh skipper Litton Kumar Das provided a different perspective, focusing on the unique pressures inherent to a tri-nation format. Litton, who admitted his experience with such series is limited, explained that the structure allows for little margin of error. Unlike a bilateral series, where teams have multiple opportunities to recover from a poor start, the tri-series requires immediate results.
Litton highlighted that losing the opening match in such a tournament can immediately force a team onto the defensive. He further noted that factors like net run rate become critical from the very first fixture, shifting the tactical focus significantly compared to traditional series formats. The captains collectively acknowledge the intensity of the competition as they finalize their preparations for the October 17 opening.
