Sharjah [UAE], October 24 (ANI): Afghanistan head coach Richard Pybus praised his side's bowling depth, describing it as a "very diverse but a very competent bowling unit" after Afghanistan defeated Zimbabwe by seven wickets to win the ODI tri-series final in Sharjah.
While leg-spinner Rashid Khan led the charge with figures of 3/41, Pybus stressed that the team's success was the result of collective contributions from the bowling attack rather than one individual's performance.
"The spin bowling has been excellent throughout the week," Pybus said after the final, as per Cricinfo.
"We have some fantastic spinners. Rashid has been phenomenal, but he's not on his own. He's been supported with a very diverse but a very competent bowling unit, and they end up taking wickets for each other, which is one of the great things," he added.
Afghanistan bowled Zimbabwe out for 169 in 43.3 overs before chasing down the target in 34.3 overs. Ibrahim Zadran remained unbeaten on 70, while captain Rahmat Shah contributed 43 to guide the team to a comfortable victory.
Rashid's three-wicket haul extended his remarkable run of taking at least three wickets in six consecutive ODIs, dating back to August. He became only the second bowler after Pakistan's Umar Gul to achieve the feat.
Pybus also lauded Rahmat's leadership, with the Afghanistan captain extending his team's winning streak in ODIs to seven matches since taking charge.
"\(Rahmat\) is wonderful as captain. He's a very calm, assured player. He leads with authority. He is very inclusive. He's got a happy team," Pybus said.
"I think it is equally important as a captain to carry that responsibility with the bat. We have been seeing it since the Ireland tour [in August]. His performance during the [one-off] Test match [against Bangladesh] didn't get the credit that it deserved, but he was outstanding with his century and the half-century. He has had seven ODI wins on the trot," he said.
"It's not always going to be as sweet as that, but he's made a really great start, and I've got absolutely no doubt he'll continue to lead the team in a very positive and inspiring way," he added.
Despite Afghanistan's recent success, Pybus emphasised that regular opportunities to compete against higher-ranked teams remained crucial to the side's development across formats.
"We have got some great players. We need to build a great team," he said, as per Cricinfo. "The side is an evolving team. We don't get the quality of opportunity with regards to some of the other Full-Member sides in terms of being able to play the top sides consistently, which I think is really critical for our development as a side."
"We have still got to turn up and do a really great job against the sides that we play against. Bangladesh are a very dangerous side and Zimbabwe, they may have struggled to beat [Afghanistan], but in the first match of this series, Zimbabwe turned over Bangladesh and put in a really comprehensive performance. So I don't want to take anything away from our guys."
The coach also credited the players and support staff for managing the demanding heat and humidity in the UAE, where conditions tested the players throughout the tri-series.
"Credit to the boys for being able to cope with the heat and the humidity. They have been exceptional this week," Pybus said, as per Cricinfo. "Credit to the backroom staff for the work which they put in to make sure that all the guys are fit and having a full squad to be able to select from. I think that's really positive. It was a testament to their conditioning work."
Pybus said Afghanistan were making progress towards building a squad capable of adapting to different playing conditions around the world, pointing to contributions from both the batting and bowling departments in recent weeks.
"I just think the side's in a good place. We came off the back of a positive series in Ireland. We're looking to build a side which can adapt to different conditions. We need to develop a side which can perform in any conditions around the world, and I think we're starting to get some depth in the squad and guys turning up and putting in the performances," he said.
Afghanistan's recent performances included centuries from Rahmat and Sediqullah Atal in the Test match, while fast bowlers Mohammad Saleem and Yameen Ahmadzai delivered lengthy spells. In the ODI tri-series, Rashid and Ibrahim emerged as key contributors.
"Guys really get stuck into their work. They're not handing responsibility for other players to come in and pick up the pieces where they have not executed on what they need to do in their role," Pybus said.
"So that's really pleasing. Just the consistency across the board from the seam bowling, bowling at Abu Dhabi, bowling here on the flat wickets, I think we've been pretty good. I'm looking forward to the T20 guys and seeing what we've got in the squad there. We've got competition for places," he concluded. (ANI)
'Very diverse but competent bowling unit': Head coach Pybus lauds Afghanistan's bowling depth after tri-series triumph
