Nuffield department of population health, Public health department in Oxford, England

As Afghstan and India get ready to lock horns with each other in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, Afghan skipper Gulbadin Naib on Friday said that India are one of the favourites in the tournament and Afghstan would try to showcase a spirited performance against the Men in Blue."India is a very good team and they are one of the favourites in the World Cup. India is a top-ranked team and we will try to showcase a good performance against them," Gulbadin said at the pre-match conference in Southampton.Afghstan had a dismal show with the ball in their last match against England as they conceded 397 runs and their main bowler Rashid Khan became the most expensive spin-bowler in the history of ODIs.Rashid conceded 110 in his nine overs and he was subjected to severe criticism from various quarters. but Afghstan skipper Gulbadin came in defence of Rashid and that the bowler is looking forward to the match against India."England are the favourites to win the World Cup. If you look at our match against them, the credit goes to England side as they played a really good brand of cricket. After the match against England, our morale is okay, we are focusing on every single game, Gulbadin said."Rashid just had a bad day, he is not an easy bowler to go after. Credit goes to England as they played really well against him. I saw him today and he is looking totally different. He is just focusing on the next match," he added.The Afghstan skipper said that the team had a good chance to beat Sri Lanka but the side was not able to latch on to the opportunity. He added that Afghstan is growing in terms of cricketing stature."Everyone knows that Afghstan is a growing team. For me, it's good that we are among the top 10 teams. We are learning and it's a very special experience for us. If you look at Afghstan, you can spot the changes which have occurred in the last four to five years. There was a chance to beat Sri Lanka but we missed it," Gulbadin said."We learnt a lot of things in our last five games. We are there in world cricket, we are competing in a tournament which has the world's best ten teams so it is a good experience for us," he added.Gulbadin said that the team should try to display their A game in every match and he also said that the Afghstan Cricket Board (ACB) is constantly trying to schedule the team's matches against the top-ranked sides in the world."We need to improve our game so that we display good skills in the field. If we are able to play to our potential then one day Afghstan will be seen beating the top-ranked sides. Our Board is trying to arrange matches with the top-ranked sides, but their schedule is very tight. Our board is trying to have series vs Pakistan or India," Gulbadin said.The Afghstan skipper has shown good skills with both bat and ball in the ongoing World Cup. In the team's last match against England, all bowlers were dispatched all around the park, but Naib was able to stand on his own as he scalped three wickets.Gulbadin came to bat as an opener against England and he managed to score 37 runs off just 28 balls to give Afghstan a steady start. Gulbadin said that if the team requires him to bat up the order, he will do it."If the team requires me to bat higher in the batting order, I will do it. I am trying to give my hundred per cent to the team," he said.So far, Afghstan has not been able to display good performance in the World Cup. The team has lost all their matches, and they were only able to show fight against Sri Lanka.Afghstan takes on India on June 22 in Southampton.( With inputs from ANI )

Nuffield Department Of Population HealthFOLLOW

Nuffield department of population health, Latest News

While many called Sri Lanka's win over England at Headingley on Friday as one of the biggest upsets of the 2019 World Cup, former India opener Virender Sehwag feels that it has made the showpiece event more lively and interesting. Sri Lanka beat Engl ...

It will not be any regular World Cup encounter when Pakistan take on South Africa at the Lord's on Sunday. Two teams with their backs to the wall will be clashing at the historic ground to stay alive in the 2019 edition of the World Cup. ...

The Pakist fan, who faced massive backlash, after he body-shamed Pakistan cricket team captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, apologised for his unacceptable behaviour. ...

England captain Eoin Morgan urged his team to turn things around in their next match at the 2019 ICC World Cup after their shock defeat to Sri Lanka. "It is a tournament where you need to adjust and turn things around," said Morgan. ...

Tournament's favourite, England faced the biggest upset of the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup from Sri Lanka on Friday. England's skipper Eoin Morgan expressed that partnerships were very important to win the game and we grappled with it. ...

Despite Ben Stokes' brilliant effort, Sri Lanka managed to vanquish England by 20 runs in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup here on Friday. ...

Lasith Malinga starred with a four-wicket haul as Sri Lanka stunned pre-tournament favourites England by 20 runs in a thrilling World Cup game here at the Headingley Cricket Ground on Friday. ...

As Afghstan and India get ready to lock horns with each other in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, Afghan skipper Gulbadin Naib on Friday said that India are one of the favourites in the tournament and Afghstan would try to showcase a spirited ...