Dubai: Afghanistan skipper Nawroz Mangal has sought to rally his team for bigger things rather than be despondent about Ireland wresting their International Cricket Council World Twenty Qualifier title.
"We are in a group with champions like England and India for the Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka and we will be going there with a clear message that we will not allow our games to be one-sided and will give them a tough fight," said Mangal, who wants to prove that his team is a power to reckon with in Twenty20 cricket and thus regain lost pride.
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Mangal also revealed that his team will be back at full strength in Sri Lanka and that the absence of some top players had set them back in the UAE. "From the start of this tournament we were a bit worried that we are not a full-strength team but we are thankful for what we achieved. Our goal of qualifying for the World Cup has been achieved and the newcomers from the U-19 squads, especially the bowlers, delivered brilliantly.
Asked about his team's plans for the World Cup, he said: "We actually played in this tournament with our second string team so for the World Cup we have to work on our fitness and also bring our main players into the arena giving them enough time to recover. We are hopeful that things will go well and we will perform well in the bigger stage."
Mangal insisted his team's total was good enough to win the final.
"Our batters achieved what we planned and to get the wicket of William Porterfield with the first ball was a good enough start. The way Paul Stirling played is amazing. He demolished all our plans."
He added: "In the end it was the two best teams that played in the final."
