Afghanistan’s captain Rashid Khan made the harsh assessment on Tuesday that his team’s “ideal” schedule does not include staying in Dubai and making the roughly two-hour one-way trip to Abu Dhabi on each match day.
The greater irony was that Rashid was in Dubai for a news conference in the morning on the day his squad was scheduled to play Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi that same evening.
“Well, I don’t think it’s ideal – that’s what we were discussing [with the other captains] before as well,” Rashid said during the mandatory Asia Cup press conference in Dubai.
“To play in Abu Dhabi and stay here in Dubai for all three games…it’s different. But as professional cricketers, we have to accept these things,” said the highest wicket-taker in T201 history.
However, Rashid, who has taken 170 T201 wickets, added that he must put the schedule aside and concentrate on the game as a professional.
“Once you enter the ground, you tend to forget everything else. In other countries, we often fly two-three hours and go straight to the game. I remember flying from Bangladesh to the US once and playing straight away,” Rashid said.
Actually, after a taxing away series against Zimbabwe, Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka also discussed the schedule, saying it has left his squad with little time to rest and recover.
“Right now, I’m feeling very sleepy. I should answer it tomorrow I think,” Asalanka responded to a question about how he played so many games with almost no turnaround time.
“No, I mean it’s really hard to play back-to-back games in Zimbabwe on September 6 and 7. And then travel here (Dubai) straightaway. I think actually we need to have a couple of days off. I hope the coach will give us.
“It’s important to take care of our fitness. And we all know that it’s really hot out there. And for me, it’s really important to keep fresh and give 100% in the first game,” Asalanka said.
