Asia Cup 2022: "He was a much better wicket-taker earlier" - Aakash Chopra says Mujeeb Ur Rahman has disappointed him slightly
Aakash Chopra feels Mujeeb Ur Rahman has not been at his wicket-taking best in T20I cricket lately.
Afghanistan will face Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2022 opening Group B fixture in Dubai on Saturday, August 27. Mystery spinner Rahman could be seen opening the bowling for Mohammad Nabi's side against the Lankans.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra discussed the Afghan side heading into the tournament opener. He had the following to say about their spinners:
"Nabi is reliable, Rashid is reliable. Mujeeb Ur Rahman's wickets have gone slightly down. He has disappointed me a little bit. If you compare him from earlier, it seems he was a much better wicket-taker earlier, he is no longer that good."
Chopra believes seamers Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi can effectively complement the Afghan spinners. The former Indian opener explained:
"Naveen-ul-Haq and Farooqi are good choices because one is left-arm and the other is right-arm. They bowl well in the death overs as well. The conditions might favor the pacers but the quality of spin far outweighs the fast bowlers."
Naveen, with seven scalps, was Afghanistan's highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded T20I series against Ireland. Farooqi , meanwhile, picked up three wickets in as many games in the series and conceded an average of just 7.00 runs per over.
"The names are big but performances have not been that good" - Aakash Chopra on Afghanistan's batting
Chopra pointed out that Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz have not been at their best in recent times. He elaborated:
"Afghanistan have Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. The names are big but performances have not been that good. Zazai goes on his knees against spin, Gurbaz's recent form is not his best friend."
Chopra concluded by observing that while Afghanistan have a plethora of power hitters, they are not dependable. The renowned commentator stated:
"Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran - I remain slightly doubtful about their batting order. Samiullah Shinwari has come. It's quite a mercurial batting order. Everyone plays the big shots, everyone has the power. If you see Afghanistan, they have slightly more power but not reliable."
Usman Ghani made a 42-ball 59 which included six fours and two sixes, Ireland vs Afghanistan.#cricketrooms https://t.co/OQsWoUXwvZ
Barring Usman Ghani, none of the Afghan batters averaged more than 25 in the five T20Is against Ireland. Najibullah Zadran and Gurbaz scored a half-century apiece but were not consistent otherwise, averaging 25.00 and 21.60, respectively.