I want to entertain people: Gurbaz

Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz iterated that he is not ready to change his game as he is an entertainer.

The Afghan team management had always insisted that they are the happiest when Gurbaz digs deep and bats long, considering the heaps of talent he possesses.

However, the flair does not always amount to consistent performance as he often pays the price of playing an aggressive brand of cricket.

“I think I don’t want to change anything in my game because whatever the people know (about) Gurbaz, who is Gurbaz, I want to be that same Gurbaz because I want to entertain people, I want to give, you know, fun to the fans who are coming to the ground,” Gurbaz, who is featuring for Dhaka Capitals in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 tournament, told Daily Sun on Wednesday.

“I just try to play my natural game...I mean yeah, if the situation is difficult then I try to give myself some time, but yeah, clearly everyone knows that I’m playing attacking cricket, you know, most of the bowlers know that I’m charging them. I mean yeah, but the bowlers also make plan for me and sometime I’m successful, sometime I just fail but you know, that’s life,” he said.

“I’m happy the way I’m playing and I’m happy with whatever I’m doing. Hopefully I just keep continue the same thing. I think there’s no specific thing that I change in my game so just looking to win the game for my team,” he added.

Since his international bow for Afghanistan in 2019, the 24-year old wicketkeeper-batter has grown from strength to strength, becoming a permanent fixture for his national side.

As his stature increased, Gurbaz also turned out for a host of teams in franchise cricket across the world.

“I’m very grateful for whatever I have achieved in my life and from cricket journey. It was my dream to play cricket for my country and I achieved that,” he said.

“I know how hard that was for me to come to achieve my national target and then international, plus leagues. But yeah, I’m grateful for whatever I have achieved. Sometimes I just feel like I’m lucky that I achieved everything and yeah of course, Allah helped me in this journey,” he added.

Gurbaz informed that he is reaping the benefits of hard work.

“I work really hard. I love the game. I love practice. I love hard work. So there's one sentence: when you work hard, you will get the result for sure and if not today, maybe tomorrow. If not tomorrow, one day you will get it for sure,” he said.

“I am getting the result of the hard work of my last six, seven, 10 years. So that's the result of my hard work. I'm grateful for whatever I have done for my country, for my family, for me. I mean, yeah, that was the result that I was playing for, and now I got it. I achieved my dreams,” he added.

Gurbaz declared that they are quite confident ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup and feels they can go all the way and clinch the championship.

“I think the biggest challenge for us is to prepare ourselves for the big stage and just be mentally ready to have a successful year. We already worked really hard and hopefully we will again qualify for the semi-final and final and win the cup,” said Gurbaz.

“We just need to play a good cricket. No pressure on us. And I think we just need to go to the World Cup and play our best cricket as much as we can and the result will come later,” he added.

The upcoming series against the West Indies will enable the Afghans to have a final look at their combination, stated Gurbaz.

“The West Indies series is very important for our preparation because it’s just before the World Cup, and then we go straightaway there. I think it’s going to be a good preparation for us and yeah, it will help us in our team combination. Yeah, we’re happy with that,” he said.

Gurbaz added that he is very optimistic with regards to the future of the Afghanistan Premier League as it will be a breeding ground for talented cricketers in their country.

“APL is going to be a very good opportunity for all Afghan players. It's a huge news and also it will help the young generation to earn some money from there and to spend on themselves. It’s going to be a good opportunity for all of us. And hopefully we get a lot of talent from there and then give them chance in the national side as well. I think that will be a good opportunity,” he explained.

Gurbaz concluded by saying that he does not undertake special preparation leading up to any major tournament.

“For me, see, cricket is cricket. As I already mentioned, for me it doesn't matter if it is IPL, BPL, or any other country. I just respect the game. I play the game. I love the game,” he said.