Big boost for Afghanistan to play against top sides: Sehwag

Virender Sehwag, the former Indian opener, was lavish in his praise of Afghanistan and Bangladesh, after the two teams topped their respective groups to qualify for the Super 10 phase of the ICC World T20 2016. Bangladesh, who sealed their qualification following a defeat of Oman on Sunday (March 13), join Australia, India, New Zealand and Pakistan in Group 2 while Afghanistan will play England, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies in Group 1.

"I thought Zimbabwe had the upper hand because they are the most experienced international side, but Afghanistan surprised Zimbabwe. They beat them easily and qualified for the next round," said former Indian cricketer Sehwag, in an exclusive chat with cricbuzz.com.

Afghanistan's opening batsman Mohammad Shahzad and all-rounder Mohammad Nabi played a key role to the side's success. While the former scored over 140 runs in three games, the latter contributed with both bat and ball. An opener himself, Sehwag was impressed with the way Shahzad batted at the top of the order.

"Mohammad Shahzad played really well and gave good starts for them. Mohammad Nabi bowled and batted well. These two were the big contributors for Afghanistan and because of them they have qualified for the next round," Sehwag said.

Now that the Asghar Stanikzai-led Afghanistan have advanced to the next round, Sehwag said that it would be a big boost for them to play alongside top-sides.

"Maybe Afghanistan can upset a big team (in the Super 10s). Even if they don't, it is still a boost for them to play against the likes of Sri Lanka, England, West Indies, South Africa. It's a big boost for them to play against top sides. If they can win one out of four games, it will be a big achievement for them," the 37-year-old elaborated.

With the way Bangladesh have been playing in recent times, it was not surprising to see them qualify for the Super 10. Speaking about the Mashrafe Mortaza-led side, Sehwag voiced that they can beat any team in the next round.

"Bangladesh easily qualified for the next round. They played very good cricket in the recent past. They beat Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the Asia Cup and they came to the qualifiers with high confidence. The way they are playing, they can upset any team in the next round," Sehwag said.

The current system put in place by the International Cricket Council (ICC) allows the top eight ranked teams to get a direct entry to the Super 10, while the last two spots will be decided via the qualifiers round. Sehwag revealed that he liked the rule as qualification to the main round of the tournament was on merit.