Shahidi: Afghanistan team can ignore boycott calls
Afghan skipper Shahidi Thursday said calls from other nations for a boycott of their matches because of the treatment of women by the ruling Taliban didn't effect his team
Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi Thursday said calls from other nations for a boycott of their matches because of the treatment of women by the ruling Taliban did not effect his team.Afghanistan open their Group B campaign in the Champions Trophy against South Africa in Karachi Friday.
Last month South Africa Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie backed demands from British politicians for a playing boycott of Afghanistan.The England and Wales Cricket Board resisted the demand to boycott their Champions Trophy group game, but said they would not host Afghanistan in a bilateral series.
Australia, also in Group B, have cancelled a Twenty20 international series and a Test against Afghanistan in the last two years, but plan to play their trophy game.
Shahidi said he was unperturbed.We only control things inside the ground, that's our job," Shahidi said in a press conference in Karachi Thursday.The other things cannot put us under pressure."Afghanistan face England in Lahore on February 26 and Australia at the same venue two days later.The whole world knows that we are playing well, especially in the last three years so we are focused on our play and here also we do the control things,
" Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi Thursday said calls from other nations for a boycott of their matches because of the treatment of women by the ruling Taliban did not effect his team.
Afghanistan open their Group B campaign in the Champions Trophy against South Africa in Karachi Friday.Afghanistan boast quality spinners with Rashid Khan, ranked second in the world in one-day internationals, leading the attack. They also have hard hitting batters in Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran and Mohammad Nabi.
