Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi wants to become a good businessman

Hashmatullah Shahidi has etched his name in the history of Afghanistan cricket as the captain who led his side to victories against three champions in the World Cup. After defeating defending champions England and former World Champions Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Shahidi's Afghanistan needs a cool head and three more wins to register a place in their first-ever semifinal.

In the six matches, Shahidi has scored 226 runs at an average of 56.50 and took his side over the line with scores of 48 not out and 58 not out against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, respectively. His highest individual score in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is 80, which he scored against India in New Delhi.

Afghanistan semifinal chances and scenarios in ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

 

The Afghanistan captain, in an exclusive chat with Business Standard, elaborated on how the team prepared for the marquee event in India. 28-year-old Shahidi talked at length about how he took captaincy as a challenge, and the first-class cricket in Afghanistan has been the major reason behind the team's success in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

How do you reflect on the performance of the Afghanistan team in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023?

We came to India for the World Cup after a lot of hard work. Every single player did the hard work that was needed leading up to the World Cup. The talent was always there, but the hard work we did changed our mindset and gave us a lot of belief in our skills. Everyone is playing with responsibility, and that's the case. All the boys know their roles and are implementing those beautifully.

If you have to pick between your double century against Zimbabwe and the victories over three former World Champions in the 2023 ODI World Cup, which one would you choose?

Scoring a double hundred in Test cricket was a dream. But I don't think anything can beat this feeling of winning the match as a captain. We have defeated three world champions. I am happy with my individual performance as well, but the most satisfying has been the team's performance in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.

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Tell us about Hasmatullah Shahidi, the person. About your hobbies and family and what you would have been doing if not playing cricket?

I hail from Logar, which is near Kabul. My family background is all about education. My father, Mohammad Hashim Shahidi, is not anymore, but he has written physics books for classes 9 to 12. Overall, my father has written 44 books on science. He was very smart. He wanted me to keep education as my first priority. He used to tell me to focus on studying, but cricket was only a hobby. I used to tell him, okay, I will continue my education, I even sat for university exams to keep him happy, but my passion for cricket was immense. I was not good at physics. I didn't like it that much. But what I like is business. I really want to be a good businessman. Everybody else in my family is good at education.

Tell us more about your father.

My father suffered a heart attack in 2018. I remember I was batting on 120, not out in a first-class match. I was six hours away from my home. I called him this evening and asked him for his blessings so that I could reach the 200-run mark the next day. There were few guests in our house, so my father just said I am busy with the guests; we will talk tomorrow once you complete your double hundred. Then, he disconnected the call. That's the last time we spoke. He slept and never woke up. The following day, I drove back home.

You have played many first-class matches. Does first-class cricket help you manoeuvre the strike in middle overs? Can you explain the structure of first-class cricket in Afghanistan?

The structure of first-class cricket is very good. We have five cricket stadiums now. One in Khost, two in Jalalabad, one in Kandahar and one in Kabul. A new high-performance centre has been built in Kabul. Five teams play against each other in first-class, List A and T20.

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How was your captaincy experience, given you have players like Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan on your side?

When I took the captaincy, it was not easy. When the board approached me, I took it as a challenge. I wanted to do something for my country. Thanks to the almighty, everything is going well. My only motive was not to be selfish. I only thought about my country. I knew that there would be challenges; it was in my mind. But by god's grace, everything is panning out as planned.

Your team approaches the game in the classical style, drawing comparisons from 90s Australia. Gurbaz is going big at the top, and then in the middle order, it is just building partnerships. Take us through the batting line-up and partnership.

Partnerships are something we have worked on. We need to show more trust in ourselves. We were struggling to rotate the strike, running between the wickets. We were also not playing cricket regularly against top sides. Even if we were playing series, those were not against the top sides. So, the Asia Cup experience mattered a lot to us. As I said earlier, talent was always there, but we were not able to implement it.

You were playing well against India in Delhi but unluckily got out. How do you see your own role as a batsman in the team?

When you are a leader, there is more responsibility on you. As a player, I was circumspect. I used to put a lot of pressure on myself. I wanted to finish the game and carry the team through, and it was hampering my batting. I was struggling with my strike rate. I was under so much pressure, but after a while, I realised that I was not a team; I was a part of a team. Now, I try to do my best for the team and, at the same time, steer my teammates as well. It's a team game. Play according to the situation. Sometimes, you lose two or three wickets quickly. Against England, India, and Bangladesh, we had a batting collapse, and it put us under pressure. Batting collapse was something we have worked on a lot. 

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How difficult is it for the captain to bench a teenage player like Noor Ahmed after a match-winning performance?

It was an easy conversation. Noor has played so much cricket with different franchises as well. He understands the importance of team combinations. That decision I made for the team. Chennai's wicket was suited for a spin. In Pune, it was more seam-friendly. I back my decisions, and in this team, no one thinks about themselves.

So tell us about your life beyond cricket. Do you watch Bollywood movies?

"Hindi mein mai zyada baat karta hoon. Aapse zyada Indian movies dekha hoga". (I talk in Hindi more than you guys. I would have watched more Hindi movies than you). I love romantic movies. My favourite films are Tum Bin and Baghbaan. I love Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar. I like comedy movies. Singh is Bling, and Dangal are also my all-time favourite.

Which cricketer did you idolise as a kid?

Growing up, I idolised Kumar Sangakkara.

In the end, just let us know what the pep talk you gave to your players after winning the three matches.

Forget the wins and achievements. Our mindset is to qualify for the semifinals and bring a smile to the faces of our countrymen. Three months ago, I lost my mother. Inshallah, if I steer my team to the semifinal, that would bring some happiness to our family.