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Morgan not underestimating Afghanistan threat
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 23 - 03 - 2016

Skipper Eoin Morgan vowed that England would not take lowly Afghanistan lightly in a must-win World Twenty20 tie Wednesday after exiting its last two major tournaments with egg on their face.
England's 2014 World T20 campaign ended in an embarrassing 45-run defeat against the Netherlands while a disastrous showing at last year's 50 over World Cup was capped by a humbling loss to Bangladesh.
Morgan's side will hope to record a resounding win against Afghanistan Wednesday in New Delhi as it seeks to up its run rate in a tight group but the captain said there would be no taking victory for granted.
Speaking to reporters on the eve of the match, Morgan recalled the "horrific" feeling in the dressing-room at the time of the Dutch debacle but said the atmosphere was totally different after Friday's morale-boosting victory over South Africa.
"Our priority is on winning. Tomorrow is a big game and we are certainly not taking Afghanistan for granted. First and foremost we need to get into that game with the right mindset," he said.
"I think Holland was a unique set of circumstances, I think we were already out of the tournament. We went into the game with a particularly wrong mindset," he added.
"Disappointment of getting knocked out of the World Cup is horrific, so coming into this game we are really fresh."
Although Afghanistan has lost its two matches in the group stages, it caused South Africa a fright Sunday with a brisk start to its run chase, with opener Mohammad Shahzad scoring 44 in just 19 balls.
"I think they are a dangerous side. They have played a really exciting brand of cricket," said Morgan.
Morgan said England was considering bringing in Liam Dawson as a third spinner alongside Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid on a pitch that is expected to offer more turn than Mumbai, the venue of England's first two games.
Although Afghanistan is effectively out of the tournament, skipper Asghar Stanikzai said his side was determined to leave India with victory against a major team under its belt.
"We have played good cricket and looking to play well against England as well," he said.
"There will definitely be pressure on England ... We are eager to win at least one match in next two. The guys are playing to win."
Inzamamul Haq, who was appointed Afghanistan's coach last October, said his charges had done themselves proud after qualifying for the group stages by seeing off more established teams such as Zimbabwe and Scotland. "This Afghanistan team has got all the talent, they just need more exposure. The more they play international cricket, the more their talent will improve," he said.
Teams
England (from): Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, James Vince, David Willey.
Afghanistan (from): Asghar Stanikzai (captain), Amir Hamza, Dawlat Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid Hassan, Karim Sadiq, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Shahzad, Najibullah Zadran, Noor Ali Zadran, Rashid Khan, Samiullah Shenwari, Shafiqullah Shafiq, Shapoor Zadran, Usman Ghani.


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