Men’s ODI WC: My Mindset Was Only One Thing - Just To Be Positive, Says Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Arun Jaitley Stadium: 'Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee' is famously attributed to legendary boxer Mohammad Ali. While the first part of the quote talks about having nimble footwork a boxer should have to outsmart the opponent, the second phase refers to giving a knockout blow to win the game in the ring.

On Sunday, if the meanings of Ali’s iconic quote were imbibed at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, it was done by Afghanistan’s wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz. One wonders if Gurbaz has come across the quote or not, but in front of 26,440 fans in New Delhi, he showed why that line fits well for his knock of 80 off 57 balls, setting the base for a famous Afghanistan victory over England.

Yes, England were sloppy in the first ten overs with the ball and in fielding, but they looked a bit rattled by the counterattack Gurbaz brought out to give Afghanistan a blazing start through a 114-run partnership for the opening wicket alongside Ibrahim Zadran, who at best was a second fiddle.

Gurbaz began his scintillating show by pulling a wayward Chris Woakes over mid-wicket for six. He continued to feast on Woakes’ struggles on a flat pitch by driving and slicing off him for back-to-back boundaries.

Though Reece Topley managed to keep him quiet for some time,Gurbaz smacked an off-colour Sam Curran for two boundaries through a cover drive and whip off pads, before hammering a pull over mid-wicket for six, as 20 runs came off ninth over.

Gurbaz continued his attacking ways by reaching his fifty in 33 balls as he swept Adil Rashid powerfully past square leg for four. He took a liking to Mark Wood’s raw-pace by upper-cutting over backward point for six, a shot which reminded many of Sachin Tendulkar’s iconic shot against Pakistan in 2003 World Cup, and left fans in awe of it.

Gurbaz would get another boundary via a pull off Wood, before an attempt to take a non-existent single would result in his run-out. But the wicketkeeper-batter had done enough by then to set the base for Afghanistan’s historic win despite a middle-order wobble, explaining how his optimistic mindset was key in dismantling England.

“When playing against a team like England, everyone will be under pressure. My mindset was only one thing - just to be positive. I was really well prepared for that game - not only for that game, but for this competition and that was the reason I was not under pressure.”

“I was just trying to be positive against everyone, irrespective of whether it was a pacer or spinner. I was really happy with my innings. Unfortunately, I missed my hundred. But I am still happy that we won,” said Gurbaz to reporters in the mixed zone.

In the post-match press conference, head coach Jonathan Trott was left in awe of how Gurbaz made full use of England’s sloppiness in the first power-play. “It's amazing, wasn't it? The shots that he plays and the start that he can give us. Often, I say to Gurbaz, if you're 30 or 40, I'm not worried at all because you can catch it up at any stage and we can see certainly.”

“On good wickets opening the batting and the ball being fairly hard, he plays spin and he plays seam so well the and the longer he bats more the chance we have of winning, that's what I say to him as well. So, fantastic talent, a real interesting character and for him the amount of talent he has certainly the sky is the limit it's just about him getting the best out of himself day in, day out.”

Gurbaz would call Afghanistan spicing up the tournament by beating England as a big achievement for the team and its passionate fans back home, many of whom are reeling due to the destruction caused by earthquakes.

“This was a really good moment for us, as we didn’t have any good moment in Afghanistan at the moment. Our focus has been elsewhere (due to the earthquakes at home), btu our boys did really well and brought more happiness to the Afghanistan team and for the public back home.”

“From the start till the end, everyone was doing well. On a batting-friendly wicket, the start and the job done by the spinners went very well. Everyone gave their hundred percent on the field.”

“Everyone knew that how much important this match was for us and we had it in us to beat a team like this (England), especially in a World Cup. We had won a game in World Cup in 2015 over Scotland, but I don’t remember that as I was not playing cricket that time. This has been a really nice moment, not just for us, but for the whole Afghanistan nation and it’s a big achievement.”

With Afghanistan set to face New Zealand on Wednesday, Gurbaz feels the pitches at MA Chidambaram Stadium will be suitable for his spinners and who knows, for him as well to produce another version of ‘float like a butterfly’ and ‘sting like a bee’ knock, like he did against England.

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“We just want to focus on one game at a time. As much as we focus on one game, that will be more good for us. We need to take care of ourselves and recovery too. The advantage is with us as Chennai wicket is good for spinners as well,” he signed off.