Perth: Australia skipper Michael Clarke has huge respect for his opponents Afghanistan’s resilience, whom they take on at the WACA Ground on Wednesday.
Answering to a query from Gulf News whether Afghanistan, being an unknown quantity, can pose problems to his team, Clarke said: “I’ve obviously watched them play throughout this World Cup. I think they’ve performed really well. Some of their individuals in particular have really stood up and performed very well. The wicket looks fantastic out there, so there might be a bit of pace as well for their opening bowlers who have done a very good job throughout this tournament. We will certainly study our opposition.”
Elaborating on the significance for having the strife-torn country in the World Cup, Clarke said: “I think it’s great for Afghanistan to have this opportunity and for a lot of the nations to have the opportunity to be part of the World Cup. I think it’s exciting.
“I spoke to a few of the boys yesterday, and they’re really excited to play against Australia. I think it’s wonderful for the game of cricket. I think it’s great for the World Cup to see Afghanistan here and doing really well. I think they’ve shown the world on this stage that they’ve got a really good team and they can perform at this level against the best.”
Clarke took this opportunity to even back countries like Afghanistan to be involved in cricket. “I’ve always been a believer in the more countries that we can get involved in the game of cricket, the better. The more boys and girls playing all around the world, the better it is for cricket. I’ve never really cared what format. I just think if we can have kids playing this great game of cricket, I think the game can change a lot. It did to me. It has given me a wonderful opportunity to see so many parts of the world and meet so many great friends. I would love every little boy and every little girl to have the same opportunities that I’ve had.”
With Pat Cummins being ruled out against Afghanistan due to a niggle and Clarke just recovering from hamstring injury, he was asked if injuries can set the co-hosts back from winning the World Cup. “I don’t think you can do anything about injuries. I think the most important part is we were settled on a squad and the selectors have been settled on that for a while. I think it takes the whole 15 to have success in a World Cup. Injuries come and go throughout the whole tournament.
“You play in different conditions as well. One day you play in New Zealand and next day you’re playing in Perth, so I think the selectors assess the opposition we’re playing and the conditions we’re playing in and select the best XI for that. I think you need everybody on the team to be ready to go. I don’t think it makes any difference if you change the XI as long as the 15 players are working extremely hard and waiting for their opportunity.”
