Asia Cup: Can Afghanistan finally live up to their billing with a trophy?

There were no surprises in Afghanistan’s big win over minnows Hong Kong in their opening match of the Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. It keeps them on course for a tilt at the Super Four stage in a tougher group — where they still have to play Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — if they want to win their first major trophy.

It’s been a number of years since Afghanistan became an ICC full member that tags like ‘bravehearts’ or ‘fairytale journey’ have dominated headlines. The likes of current captain Rashid Khan, Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai or veteran Mohammed Nabi have left enough of a footprint in white-ball cricket, knocking off heavyweight teams or repeatedly coming close to doing so but failing in the final lap when it comes to winning a trophy.

The reality check from Jonathon Trott, former England Test batter who has been their coach for a number of years, is hence on the money. “We’ve won nothing. Let’s just make that clear. We’re an up-and-coming side and we’ve got a lot of work to do,” he stressed after the Hong Kong win.

There is now bit of a respite for the Afghans, just coming out of a tri-series against Pakistan and the UAE in Sharjah as a build-up to the Asia Cup, before they take on Bangladesh (16 September) and Sri Lanka (18 September) in crucial group fixtures.

The format of the continental event needs them to finish among the top two in the group to be in the Super Four, from where the two toppers will play the final. The exploits of the Afghans, who famously made the semi-final of the last T20 World Cup in 2024 before withering under big-match pressure against South Africa, makes them dangerous opponents on the dry wickets and familiar conditions of the UAE on their day, even against fancied India or Pakistan.

The ticklish question is if they can go all the way, given their recent history of fluffing the lines at crucial stages. Their maiden entry in a World T20 semis ended in anti-climax when they folded up for 56 all out against the Proteas pace attack, while two years back in the 2023 World Cup, they let eventual champions Australia off the hook when Glenn Maxwell engineered a jailbreak with an unbeaten 200.  

If that’s not enough, the Afghans again came to the party earlier this year at the ICC Champions Trophy when they rode a blazing 177 by Zadran to pile up 325/7 in a group game against England and eventually beat them by eight runs. While such flashes of brilliance no longer surprise their fans — who cut across borders — coach Trott is ruthless in demanding consistency. 

While a total of 188/6 gives the impression that the Afghans were in control, Trott pointed out that Hong Kong’s dropped catches and lapses in the field gave his team breathing room. “We started averagely today. We were a bit fortunate with a few dropped catches that sort of let us off. We need to make sure we improve in a few areas for the rest of the group games,” he said.

Sediqullah Atal (73), Omarzai (53) and veteran Mohammad Nabi (33) made meaningful contributions but the rest of the batting order failed to reach double figures, underlining the inconsistency Trott is eager to address. ‘’We need players to take responsibility. Some of our players need to get in form and start scoring runs,” he added.