London: Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib has heaped praise on teenage wicketkeeper Ikram Alikhil as his side concluded their World Cup campaign with a defeat against the West Indies on Thursday, July 4.
“He played very well, I’m upset that he missed out on a century, which is a big moment for anyone,” Gulbadin was quoted as saying by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Ikram, who made his ODI debut against Ireland in March, broke Tendulkar’s record for the highest score by an 18-year-old at a World Cup at Headingley, where the Little Master once broke the mould as Yorkshire’s first overseas player in 1992.
The wicketkeeper’s 86 off 92 deliveries against the West Indies saw him move ahead of Tendulkar’s best of 84 which came 27 years ago at the 1992 World Cup.
Ikram wasn’t included in Afghanistan’s initial 15-man squad but was drafted in on the eve of the tournament after an injury to Mohammad Shahzad.
“He’s played a lot of cricket in the last two-three years and he proved himself here. We have a lot of youngsters like him coming forward, which is great for the team and for the country.
“We have a lot of talent back in Afghanistan. I hope the other guys, if they are given the chance, will come forward too. If you play professional cricket in each and every department, you must be 100 per cent fit. If you are not, nothing will go well.
“We learned a lot at this World Cup and know what we need to work on to improve ourselves, we’ll take the positive things and keep trying hard. We’ve achieved so much as a team in a short time and, after the World Cup, it is not the end of our cricket,” he Afghan skipper said.
Gulbadin said the team did not give their best and expressed disappointment with their display against the West Indies.
“I’m not happy with the team performance… We didn’t really give our 100 per cent and our audience expects more for us,” he said.
