After defeating Bangladesh by 8 runs in the Super 8 match of the ICC T-20 World Cup, Afghanistan entered the semi-finals of the tournament.
This achievement is significant for the Afghanistan team in many ways. This is the first time that Afghanistan have reached the semi-finals of any major ICC tournament.
Afghanistan played the best in this tournament from the beginning. He first beat New Zealand and then Australia.
Both were considered to be the strongest team in this tournament. After that, they defeated Bangladesh and entered the semi-finals.
In the match against Bangladesh, Afghanistan won the toss and decided to bat first. However, the Afghanistan team was limited to 115 runs after losing 5 wickets in 20 overs.
Rain also hampered the game. Because of this, the Bangladeshi team was asked to achieve the target of 114 runs in 19 overs according to the Duckworth-Lewis rule. But in front of Afghanistan’s deadly bowling, the Bangladesh team was limited to 105 runs only.
Afghanistan’s Naveen Ul Haq and Rashid Khan took four wickets each. Although Liton Das played a struggling innings of 54 runs for Bangladesh, he could not save his team from defeat.
The first semi-final of the ICC T-20 World Cup will be held on July 26 and the second semi-final on July 27.
Afghanistan will face South Africa in the first semi-final. The second match will be between India and England. The final match of the ICC T20 World Cup will be held in Bridgetown on June 29.
- What did captain Rashid Khan say about Afghanistan’s victory?
After winning the match, Afghanistan team captain Rashid Khan said, ‘It is like a dream for our team to reach the semi-finals. Beating New Zealand at the beginning of this tournament gave us confidence. There are no words to describe this.’
‘Brian Lara was the only person who said our team could reach the semi-finals. We proved him right. I told him we won’t let you down.’
Rashid Khan said, ‘Everyone has played excellently. Our fast bowling is amazing. Reaching the semi-finals is a big deal. The country will be proud of us. We have to keep things simple and enjoy the big game.’
Fast bowler Naveen Ul Haq who became ‘Player of the Match’ said, ‘We have worked hard in the last few years. We were dreaming and working for this day.’
He said, ‘I have no words to say. We always knew they were going hard to chase the target in 12.1 overs in the Powerplay, so we knew as long as we kept taking wickets we would be in the game.
“We were confident that these wickets are not high-scoring wickets. As long as we didn’t give away easy runs, we knew we would have a chance.’
Meanwhile, Bangladesh captain Nazmul Hussain Shanto said, ‘I think we bowled really well. We did a very good job as a bowling unit. But as a batting unit we made some wrong decisions, especially in the middle overs.’
- Appreciation of famous cricketers of the world
India’s master blaster Sachin Tendulkar praised the Afghanistan team for this victory and wrote on X, ‘Afghanistan, your journey to the semi-finals has been amazing. You beat New Zealand and Australia. Today’s victory is a proof of your hard work and strong courage. We are proud of your progress.’
Australian all-rounder Tim Moody wrote, ‘Wow, what a brilliant game. Full of drama. To say this would be incomplete. Congratulations to the Afghanistan Cricket Board for this wonderful achievement.’
Former Indian batsman Virender Sehwag has also praised the Afghanistan team in X. He wrote, “Wow! Afghanistan. What an effort, beat New Zealand and Australia to reach the semi-finals. That’s called progress. Congratulations.”
Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina and S. Badrinath have congratulated the Afghanistan team for reaching the semi-finals.
Yuvraj Singh wrote in X, ‘Emotions are high as the Pathans reach the semi-finals for the first time. A match-winning performance from Naveen Ul Haq. Cricket at its best.’
While congratulating Suresh Raina, he wrote, ‘Afghanistan has entered the semi-finals. Your team shines with great skill and determination. What a wonderful journey it has been so far. Keep going boys.’
- Appreciation of Afghanistan in Pakistan too
Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal praised Rashid Khan and Naveen-ul-Haq and wrote, ‘Congratulations, Afghanistan, on reaching the semi-finals. Excellent cricket. What a great achievement. Excellent bowling performance too.’
Pakistani leaders have also congratulated the Afghanistan team for reaching the semi-finals. Former Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Fawad Chaudhary wrote on the X platform, ‘The boys of Kabul and Kandahar have reached the semi-finals of the world’s biggest sports tournament by playing cricket on the streets of Bannu.’
Bollywood actor Sunil Shetty also wrote in X, ‘Afghanistan’s win is a win for a beautiful country and a great team, which they deserved. Kabul will celebrate today and the world will too.’
An Indian user wrote, ‘It felt like a victory not only for Afghanistan but also for India. The Bangladeshi team did not even attempt to reach the semi-finals. They only came to destroy the dream of Afghanistan because they could not fulfill their own dream.’
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