Praising the spinners of Gujarat Titans in the IPL, former England spinner Graeme Swann commended the efforts of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad. These Afghanistan spinners have proved to be a formidable challenge for their opponents this season. They have taken a collective total of 30 wickets.
Rashid Khan is a well-established star in the lucrative league, currently sharing the top spot for the highest wicket-taker of the season with 19 wickets from 11 matches. Meanwhile, GT skipper has shown his support for the Noor Ahmad, who has bagged 11 wickets from seven matches so far.
Speaking as an IPL expert for Jio Cinema, Swann made a bold prediction about the Afghan spin twins. The 44-year-old believes that if Rashid and Noor can replicate their IPL performances in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Afghanistan may emerge as champions in the major event.
“Every nation should be jealous that India have so many good wrist spinners in the country. The only nation that shouldn’t be jealous is Afghanistan. Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad are possibly the best two bowlers in the world currently. Afghanistan can win the World Cup if they keep going.” Swann said.
Afghanistan will look to improve their performance from previous editions
Afghans participated in their first Cricket World Cup during the 2015 edition. Four years later, under the leadership of Ashar Afghan, they qualified for the 2019 Cricket World Cup held in England. In this tournament, Afghanistan played against prominent cricketing nations such as Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand. Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and West Indies. Regrettably, they were unable to secure a win in any of the nine matches they played, ultimately finishing at the bottom of the table.
