AFG vs BAN: I Respect Team’s Culture of Fasting, Says Afghanistan Coach Phil Simmons
The Afghanistan coach is confident of the team handling the nerves when they face India on June 14 in Bengaluru.
Afghanistan cricket team will face Bangladesh and India in the month of June. Against Bangladesh the team will be locked in a three-match T20I series and against India, the Asghar Stanikzai-led side will make its Test debut. Both the series' hold importance for the growth of Afghanistan cricket. Interestingly, Afghanistan’s preparations for both these fixtures coincides with the holy month of Ramzan and despite that the players make sure they observe the fast and practice as well. AFG vs BAN 1st T20I Live Score.
Afghanistan coach Phil Simmons has said that he respects the team's culture of fasting. “I was them with last year also. I have kept fast a couple of times so I understand how difficult it is. Their culture is something they live with day in and day out. It is not the first time that they have played during Ramzan. It is their choice and I respect that,” Simmons told PTI.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan take on Bangladesh in the first T20I at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun, team’s second adopted home venue. The team has been preparing for the Bangladesh T20I series and the historic one-off Test against India simultaneously and according to coach Simmons, it is a bit difficult to monitor bot the squads. “It has been difficult with the T20 and Test squads training at the same time. But it is getting a bit easier as we are coming up to the game. That is how tours are planned now. You usually have Test matches first and then limited over series or vice versa. We just have to work around that,” said Simmons.
The Afghanistan coach is confident of the team handling the nerves when they face India on June 14 in Bengaluru. “The reaction is still not there. It still has not sunk in yet. Emotion will hit them when they get to Bangalore. But I think they can handle the nerves. We have seen in last five six years that they have stepped up in every format that they have played,” Simmons added.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 03, 2018 01:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).