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We Played in the ‘True Spirit of the Game’

DUBAI — US-Afghanistan match was the mother of all the clashes in World Twenty20 qualifiers in UAE. The favourites Afghanistan won the tie in front of a handful but noisy spectators who travelled from all over the UAE to see their stars perform.

In the post-match conference, the US captain Steve Massiah said, “We lost to a better team. They bowled and batted brilliantly. We were not cautious, they bowled according to their plans and gave us no room to play shots.

“But it was a successful tour because we beat UAE in the warm-up match and we won against Scotland in tournament. We have got a lot of positives from the experience. We are satisfied with our performance.”

When asked about the build-up prior to the match, Massiah said: “To be quite honest, we treated the game like a cricket match. We are sportsmen and I think sports bridges the gaps and brings the people together.

“Cricket is a gentleman’s game and it was obvious during the match here. We played in the true spirit of the game.” Afghanistan coach Kabir Ali said: “It was the most important game for us and we have won it. We just took it as a game and I can not expect more from this young lot. In spite of all hardships they are unstoppable in last year and a half.

“It is just like a dream for me. It is good for the country because the success of the team is attracting lot of youngsters in Afghanistan.

“Cricket can play a huge role in the future of Afghanistan.”