Minnows Afghanistan go into their World Twenty20 clash against
reigning champions England on Friday night with their morale boosted by a
pep talk from two former greats of the game.
India's Sunil Gavaskar and Aravinda de Silva of Sri Lanka spoke to the squad on Thursday evening after an invitation from Afghanistan's Pakistani coach Kabir Khan, media reports said.
"Cricket is a universal game and it feels good to interact with players," Gavaskar, the first batsman to score 10,000 Test runs, was quoted as saying.
Gavaskar spoke to the players in Hindi, which they understood, while de Silva's talk in English was translated into Pashto by Khan.
Afghanistan's wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad said the pep talk was a big boost for his team.
"It can't get better than having Gavaskar and Aravinda speak to us," Shahzad told the Kolkata-based Telegraph newspaper.
"They boosted our confidence before such an important match. Gavaskar said that our fielding had to improve. There were other suggestions as well.
"Both of them were so supportive. Our confidence can only soar. Going forward, we've got a massive boost," Shahzad said.
The Afghans, who until five years ago were playing in the lower division leagues, won hearts during a fearless display in their opening match against India on Wednesday.
The part-timers from the war-ravaged nation, many of whom took up cricket in refugee camps in Pakistan, gave India's multi-millionaires a scare before going down fighting by 23 runs.
India's Sunil Gavaskar and Aravinda de Silva of Sri Lanka spoke to the squad on Thursday evening after an invitation from Afghanistan's Pakistani coach Kabir Khan, media reports said.
"Cricket is a universal game and it feels good to interact with players," Gavaskar, the first batsman to score 10,000 Test runs, was quoted as saying.
Gavaskar spoke to the players in Hindi, which they understood, while de Silva's talk in English was translated into Pashto by Khan.
Afghanistan's wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad said the pep talk was a big boost for his team.
"It can't get better than having Gavaskar and Aravinda speak to us," Shahzad told the Kolkata-based Telegraph newspaper.
"They boosted our confidence before such an important match. Gavaskar said that our fielding had to improve. There were other suggestions as well.
"Both of them were so supportive. Our confidence can only soar. Going forward, we've got a massive boost," Shahzad said.
The Afghans, who until five years ago were playing in the lower division leagues, won hearts during a fearless display in their opening match against India on Wednesday.
The part-timers from the war-ravaged nation, many of whom took up cricket in refugee camps in Pakistan, gave India's multi-millionaires a scare before going down fighting by 23 runs.
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