Mohammad Nabi said Afghanistan’s spinners would be a handful at the cricket World Cup after their experiences playing in England and in the cauldron of the Indian Premier League.
The 34-year-old batting all-rounder will form a potent spin attack with Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman at the World Cup, with all three currently contesting the high-pressure IPL.
Nabi and Rashid also played for Leicestershire Foxes and Sussex Sharks respectively in England’s T20 Blast in 2018 while Mujeeb has been signed by Middlesex for the coming season.
“Ours is a good combination because Rashid and Mujeeb are wicket-taking bowlers and I am more defensive, bowling a lot of dot balls,” Nabi, who plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad, said.
“It was a great experience for us and was of big help,” he said of last year’s T20 Blast. “Rashid and I bowled really well and he also batted well.
“We will quickly get adjusted to the conditions there hopefully,” added Nabi, who will represent Kent in this year’s 20-over contest.
While most of the Afghan team are at a training camp in South Africa, the spinners are all warming up for the 50-over World Cup in the IPL.
Both Nabi and Rashid have starred in Hyderabad’s campaign, and 18-year-old Mujeeb is playing for Kings XI Punjab.
But Nabi said the IPL, with its big crowds and tight games, was great preparation for the World Cup despite the differences between T20 and 50-over cricket.
“The IPL helps a lot,” Nabi said. “If you play these kind of pressure games before the World Cup it will help a lot in the tournament against top opposition teams.
Nabi’s seven wickets from less than 16 overs, conceding a parsimonious 87 runs, has made him one of the top 10 bowlers in this year’s IPL.
He will now hope to take that form into the World Cup, where Afghanistan face a daunting opener against defending champions Australia on June 1.
The strong middle-order batsman has been at the centre of Afghanistan’s fairytale rise, captaining the side at their first World Cup in 2015.
Since beating the odds to compete at the 2010 World T20 in England, Afghanistan have qualified for all major international tournaments and won their first Test against Ireland last month.

Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh's wicketkeeper-batsman, believes that they have the ability to reach the knockout stage in the forthcoming ICC World Cup, after which anything can happen, including being serious contenders for the title. Given Bangladesh's success the last couple of years in a format that has been kind to them, they will take confidence into the biggest cricket extravaganza scheduled to begin from from May 30 to July 14 in the United Kingdom.
"The one thing we believe that we are going to win not just for participating in the tournament. This is our belief, we hope you all do that too,'' Mushfiqur said on Sunday (April 28). "I strongly believe that we have huge potential to make it to the knockout stages and anything can happen in the knockout stage. I don't expect an easy game to win in the World Cup. In the World Cup, I will say that every team is strong, but what I believe is that Bangladesh are also one of the biggest contenders to get the World Cup. In the last few years, we suffered defeats in many finals. I have a belief that the almighty might have saved it to give us something big in this World Cup," he added.
Bangladesh reached the semifinals in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. They are currently ranked seventh in ODIs, and will go into the tournament with an experienced side that has performed decently in recent past on the back of unified effort from their experienced campaigners, with as many as four of their seniors – Mashrafee bin Mortaza, Shakib al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur – appearing in their fourth World Cup.
Apart from their experienced campaigners, Mushfiqur said that those who will make their maiden appearance on the big stage need to enjoy their time in the tournament as that would help them perform to their potential instead of getting bogged down by the added pressure of the occasion. Seven cricketers – Liton Das, Mohammad Mithun, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehedi Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, and Abu Jayed – will feature in their first World Cup, though most of them are regular members of Bangladesh's ODI set-up.
"Those who are playing in the World Cup are matured. Apart from Rahi [Abu Jayed], the remaining players have played a lot of matches. These experiences will help them. It will be important to enjoy the times. They should carry a mentality that cricket is just a game and they should give their 100 per cent and it's the most important thing,' said Mushfiqur, before adding that the batting unit needs to deliver considering they are the ones who are more experienced than the bowling unit, but also adding that their bowlers are quite capable of doing their job on the day.
"If you look at our batting department we have a relatively experienced unit, but it's not just about having the experience as you also have to execute that by performing," he said. "I think the strike-rate is very important as it's more important than how many runs you scored or your average. We have lost to England in the Champions Trophy despite posting 320 which shows that we should have scored around 350-360 and our top-order batsmen are also taking this into account," he said. "If we can score hundreds, we need to look to convert that to 130-150 in quick time and keeping the size of the boundary and ground in mind, we also need to run hard between the wickets. It's a different challenge for those who will be playing the World Cup for the first time. I think they are very much capable, which they have shown in the last two-three series. If you talk about [Mohammad] Saifuddin and Fizz [Mustafizur Rahman], they have been doing well and it is a plus point for them.

Alex Hales has been withdrawn from England's preliminary World Cup squad to ensure the team is "free from any distractions", the England & Wales Cricket Board has said.
Last week, a spokesman for the batsman said he had been suspended following an "off-field incident".
Hales, 30, was part of a provisional 15-man squad named for the World Cup.
A statement from Hales' management company said the decision has left him "devastated".
ECB chief Ashley Giles said: "I want to make it clear this is not the end of Alex's career as an England player."
The ECB has refused to say what Hales has done to warrant his withdrawal, citing confidentiality concerns.
Hales missed Nottinghamshire's One-Day Cup games last week for what the county described as "personal reasons".
The incident happened last year, and the player's spokesman added: "While the issue is not cricket-related, he accepted it was right he was suspended."
The ECB says he has also been removed from the England squad for the ODI against Ireland on Friday, as well as the Twenty20 international and ODI series against Pakistan.
A replacement for the World Cup squad must be named by 23 May, when final squads are submitted to the International Cricket Council.
"We have thought long and hard about this decision," added Giles, the ECB's managing director of England men's cricket.
"We have worked hard to create the right environment around the England team and need to consider what is in the best interests of the team, to ensure they are free from any distractions and able to focus on being successful on the pitch.
"The ECB and the PCA (Professional Cricketers' Association) will continue to aid Alex and work alongside his county club Nottinghamshire to give him the support he needs, to help him fulfil his potential as a professional cricketer."
Hales' management company said in a statement it is "hugely disappointed at the treatment" of the cricketer.
It said the ECB "insisted on Alex taking certain rehabilitation measures following his suspension" and that, "at every stage, Alex fulfilled his obligations and both he and his representatives were given assurances that any suspension - again under the ECB's guidelines - could not affect his selection for the World Cup".
The statement added: "The fact all those assurances seem to have been rendered meaningless has understandably left Alex devastated. He will take time to reflect on both his actions and the subsequent decisions, but will receive the support from his team he deserves."
Hales has played 11 Tests, 70 one-day internationals and 60 T20 matches for England.

By Romeo Kaseram
Rohan Bholalall Kanhai was born on December 26, 1935, in Port Mourant, Berbice, in what was then British Guiana. A right-handed batsman, he also bowled a right-hand medium pace, and served occasionally as a wicket-keeper. Wikipedia notes the entirety of his first class cricket career saw him on many different boundaries in British Guiana, later Guyana, North of South Africa, Tasmania, Transvaal in the Howa Bowl, Trinidad and Tobago, Warwickshire, and Western Australia.
A picture of Kanhai’s dominating figure emerges from Rajan Bala writing in the cricket website ESPScricinfo, describing the batsman as being “by no means a big man”. Additionally, Kanhai “had a feline grace about him, rather like a leopard stalking its prey”, that would suddenly “spring into action and devastate a bowler, taking him completely by surprise”. That Bala resorts to the literary device of the simile to invoke Kanhai’s predatory litheness is a common thread that runs in narratives describing this cricketer’s attentiveness and agility on the field.
This comparative invocation of a latent animalism is also noted with other writers, who too are reaching upwards into higher literary registers for a language to describe Kanhai’s aesthetic, his theatrical performativity with the bat, and his predatory precision on the field. Such is the lyrical reach of Clem Seecharan, who writing in The Cricket Monthly, notes “[everything] Kanhai did in Australia in 1960-61 had a regal exclusivity”. Seecharan adds: “His fielding and his rocket-like returns from the boundary over the bails immobilised batsmen with fear; and the amazing speed with which he set off for a run confounded fielders into recurring fallibility; it also precipitated a few memorable tragedies with his partners. And the miraculous catching!”
Seecharan quotes Australian batsman, Jack Fingleton, describing a serpentine Kanhai taking a catch to dismiss Bobby Simpson in the Third Test at Sydney. Said Fingleton: “Simpson neatly leg-glanced Hall and the ball went low and at a furious pace. Kanhai was at fine leg-slip and he dived along the ground a good four yards to catch the ball left-handed while still skidding along the turf. He moved like a black mamba, famished after hibernation, on sighting its first prey.”
C.L.R. James, the Trinidad-born historian, journalist, socialist, and cricket commentator, also invokes the comparative binary of animal/man in his exploration of the Kanhai phenomenon. In his essay, ‘Rohan Kanhai: A Study in Confidence’, among other things, James explores an emergent, elusive quality in Kanhai’s batting, an “audacity at the wicket” that had “earned not the usual perfunctory admiration but the deep and indeed awesome respect of [Learie] Constantine”. In Kanhai’s 1963 innings at the Oval, James tells us: “…[Kanhai] had hit the English bowlers all over the place, he gave no chance and never looked like getting out. Yet I knew that Learie was aware of something in Kanhai’s batting that had escaped me. At off times I wondered what it might be.” Kanhai’s audacity and prolificity, James later described as “Going crazy”.
Later, James figured it out, noting, “Kanhai did not go crazy. Exactly the reverse. He discovered, created a new dimension in batting. The only name I can give to it is “cat-and-mouse.” The bowler would bowl a length ball. Kanhai would play a defensive stroke, preferably off the front foot, pushing the ball for one, quite often for two on the on-side – a most difficult stroke on an uncertain pitch, demanding precious footwork and clockwork timing. The bowler, after seeing his best lengths, exploited in this manner, would shift, whereupon he was unfailingly dispatched to the boundary. After a time it began to look as if the whole sequence had been pre-arranged for the benefit of the spectators. Kanhai did not confine himself too rigidly to this pre-established harmony.”
The debutant Indian bowler, Bishan Singh Bedi, would later pay the penalty through what James, in inscribing Kanhai’s predatory animalism, calls “cat-and-mouse” play. Bala writes about an incident where Kanhai deployed his signature “cat-and-mouse” play during the 1966-67 tour through anecdotal recall in Calcutta, saying, “[Kanhai] was playing the final over before lunch on day one. It was from the debutant Bishan Singh Bedi, whose first over in Test cricket it was. Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, the Indian captain, had brought the new boy on for the first time, thinking that he would be able to ease himself into the big league. Rohan played defensively the first five balls and it seemed almost certain that Bishan would start his career with a maiden. It was not to be. Rohan hit the last ball straight for six and walked away to lunch. Later he said to me: ‘The lad looked good from the beginning. I was not going to give him a maiden to start with. He must have been thinking of what I did to his final delivery during lunch’.”
Bala also recalls a conversation with Kanhai speaking to his approach with the bat when at the wicket. Kanhai is quoted saying: “You have to develop a sound technique and, especially, a tight defence. It is not that the defence should be the basis of your game, like it was in the case of a couple of Englishmen. A defensive stroke can get you a single if you learn to place the ball. As far as stroke-making is concerned, you have to put every poor delivery away to the boundary and sometimes even hit a few good ones too. It is when you do the latter that the bowlers are made to think. The odd risk is worth taking, provided the percentages are on your side.” In his autobiography, Blasting for Runs, Kanhai expands on this philosophy of stroke-play, saying, “The way I see it I’m paid to hit any and every bowler as hard and as far as I can. Nobody said anything about how I have to do it.”
A few of Kanhai’s shots, where the “odd risk was worth taking” did shock the purists of the game; among the “few good ones”, where he put away the ball to the boundary, hitting “every bowler as hard and as far”, was his signature sweep. In the execution of Kanhai’s blade was an accompanying flourish that ended with the batsman remarkably on his back on the pitch, his head and eyes lifted, along with the upturned heads of the wicketkeeper and slips, as the ball soared over square leg, either on its way to, or over, the boundary.
(Part II explores Kanhai “sweeping” his way into cricket history.)

Andre Russell has represented West Indies in only a single One-day International since 2015 but his World Cup call-up was not surprising and the hard-hitting all-rounder is hungry to represent the Caribbean side again.
Contractual disputes between the players and Cricket West Indies (CWI) have weakened the team for several years now with the frosty relations famously culminating in the 2014 tour of India being called off midway through the series.
There have been signs of a thaw recently, however, with a new leadership team in place at the board and the twice 50-over World Cup champions have included former captain Chris Gayle and Russell in their 15-man squad.
The 30-year-old Russell has been in blistering form for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the ongoing Indian Premier League and possesses the highest strike rate of over 209 in the Twenty20 tournament while scoring 406 runs in 11 games (as of April 29).
“I wasn’t surprised that I was a part of the World Cup squad,” Russell told reporters ahead of KKR’s home match against the Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens. “I’ve been doing well, I’ve been back and forth with the selectors and the coaches back home. I know once I’m doing my work here and performing, that will lead to national duties.
“I wasn’t really focused on the World Cup. I was just trying to make sure that whatever happened here, I did my best and put my best foot forward.”
Russell, who also bowls medium pace, is averaging 58 with the bat and has smashed 42 sixes during the 2019 edition of the IPL — 10 more than closest rival Gayle, who plays for the King’s XI Punjab.
The Jamaican, who has also taken eight wickets, has been the standout performer for his franchise, who have lost their six consecutive matches after picking up four wins in their first five outings of the tournament.
Russell hopes he can continue his form into the May 30-July 14 World Cup, where the 1975 and 1979 champions open their campaign against Pakistan at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
“I’m so hungry now to represent the West Indies,” said Russell, who played for West Indies against Bangladesh last July in an ODI for the first time since November 2015.
“The last time I joined the West Indies team was recently, when I had taken two injections to better my knee and it flared up again. I was so upset. I was watching the game against England and couldn’t do anything about it.
“But as I said, I’m so hungry right now to represent the West Indies and smash sixes and do what I’ve been doing here and score hundreds.”

33rd Match, (N), H'bad, Apr 17: SH v CSK
CSK 132/5; SH 137/4 (16.5/20 ov, target 133)
SH won by 6 wkts (with 19 balls remaining)
34th Match, (N) at Delhi, Apr 18: DC v MI
MI 168/5; DC 128/9 (20 ov, target 169)
MI won by 40 runs
35th Match, (N), Kolkata, Apr 19: KKR v RCB
RCB 213/4; KKR 203/5 (20 ov, target 214)
RCB won by 10 runs
36th Match, (D/N), Jaipur, Apr 20: RR v MI
MI 161/5; RR 162/5 (19.1/20 ov, target 162)
RR won by 5 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)
37th Match, (N) at Delhi, Apr 20: DC v KXIP
KXIP 163/7; DC 166/5 (19.4/20 ov)
DC won by 5 wickets (with 2 balls remaining)
38th Match, (D/N), H'bad, Apr 21: SH v KKR
KKR 159/8; SH 161/1 (15/20 ov, target 160)
SH won by 9 wickets (with 30 balls remaining)
39th Match, (N), B'luru, Apr 21: RCB v CSK
RCB 161/7; CSK 160/8 (20 ov, target 162)
RCB RCB won by 1 run
40th Match, (N) at Jaipur, Apr 22: RR v DC
RR 191/6; DC 193/4 (19.2/20 ov, target 192)
DC won by 6 wickets (with 4 balls remaining)
41st Match, (N), Chennai, Apr 23: CSK v SH
SH 175/3; CSK 176/4 (19.5/20 ov, target 176)
CSK won by 6 wickets (with 1 ball remaining)
42nd Match, (N), B'luru, Apr 24: RCB v KXIP
RCB 202/4; KXIP 185/7 (20 ov, target 203)
RCB won by 17 runs
43rd Match, (N), Kolkata, Apr 25: KKR v RR
KKR 175/6; RR 177/7 (19.2/20 ov, target 176)
RR won by 3 wickets (with 4 balls remaining)
44th Match, (N), Chennai, Apr 26: CSK v MI
MI 155/4; CSK 109 (17.4/20 ov, target 156)
MI won by 46 runs
45th Match, (N) at Jaipur, Apr 27: RR v SH
SH 160/8; RR 161/3 (19.1/20 ov, target 161)
RR won by 7 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)
46th Match, (D/N), Delhi, Apr 28: DC v RCB
DC 187/5; RCB 171/7 (20 ov, target 188)
DC won by 16 runs
47th Match, (N), Kolkata, Apr 28: KKR v MI
KKR 232/2; MI 198/7 (20 ov, target 233)
KKR won by 34 runs
48th Match, (N), H'bad, Apr 29: SH v KXIP
SH 212/6; KXIP 167/8 (20 ov, target 213)
SH won by 45 runs
49th Match, (N) at B'luru, Apr 30: RCB v RR
RCB 62/7; RR 41/1 (3.2/5 ov, target 63)
No result (revised target)
50th Match, (N), Chennai, May 1: CSK v DC
51st Match, (N), Mumbai, May 2: MI v SH
52nd Match, (N), C'garh, May 3: KXIP v KKR
53rd Match, (D/N), Delhi, May 4: DC v RR
54th Match, (N) at B'luru, May 4: RCB v SH
55th Match, (D/N), C'garh, May 5: KXIP v CSK
56th Match, (N), Mumbai, May 5: MI v KKR
Qualifier 1, (N), Chennai, May 7: TBA v TBA
Eliminator, (N), V'patnam, May 8: TBA v TBA
Qualifier 2, (N), " " May 10: TBA v TBA
Final, (N), Hyderabad, May 12: TBA v TBA

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