CRICKET WORLD CUP: There’s more to come from minnows Afghanistan after shock England win
October 16, 2023
Cricket World Cup minnows Afghanistan pulled off one of the greatest cricket upsets of all time when they stunned World Champions, England to win by 69 runs in Delhi on Sunday afternoon.
Afghanistan got off to the best possible start after they were asked to bat first. Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz set about the bowling in fantastic fashion as he blasted 80 from 57 balls as the Asian minnows launched the game with a first wicket stand of 114 runs.
England did well to reign them in but a score of 284 was a solid effort. And when England lost some early wickets, with Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root both back in the pavilion by the time the score was on 33, Afghanistan grew in confidence.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman with three for 51 and Rashid Khan with three for 37 were the pick of the bowlers, while for England the only run scorer of note was Harry Brook who posted 66 from 61 balls.
Speaking after the game Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi reflected on the significance of the win saying: I am quite happy, and all my teammates are happy. This was the best win.
“The confidence will be there for the next game and the whole country will be happy and proud with this win.”
He paid special tribute to his opening batsmen who set the platform for the win which lifted Afghanistan off the foot of the league table, and which relegated Australia to last place. “They get a lot of credit for the win today.
“Unfortunately, we had back-to-back wickets again today. We have to think about that.
“We had a good start and credit goes to Gurbaz for that. Ikram, he was with us from last two years but did not get too many chances. But me and the coach believed in him, and we really appreciate his effort. Against Pakistan in Sri Lanka, he batted beautifully. Today, he scored important runs for us.”
He was also full of praise for his spinners who brough the game home: “We have to score runs for them to have an impact.
“The whole world knows how good they are. I am very proud of them today.
“Fazal started very well, along with Mujeeb. That Bairstow wicket was very important. I realised the wicket was not supporting the batters when batting against the spinners.
“When I went to the pavilion, I felt 280-290 would be enough on this track. So, the belief is there, the trust is there and the talent is also there. Last couple of games, we did not finish well.
“We are looking forward to the rest of the tournament. Hopefully we can be positive. This was the first World Cup win for us since 2015 but not the last one,” he said.
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CRICKET WORLD CUP: There’s more to come from minnows Afghanistan after shock England win
Cricket World Cup minnows Afghanistan pulled off one of the greatest cricket upsets of all time when they stunned World Champions, England to win by 69 runs in Delhi on Sunday afternoon.
Afghanistan got off to the best possible start after they were asked to bat first. Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz set about the bowling in fantastic fashion as he blasted 80 from 57 balls as the Asian minnows launched the game with a first wicket stand of 114 runs.
England did well to reign them in but a score of 284 was a solid effort. And when England lost some early wickets, with Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root both back in the pavilion by the time the score was on 33, Afghanistan grew in confidence.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman with three for 51 and Rashid Khan with three for 37 were the pick of the bowlers, while for England the only run scorer of note was Harry Brook who posted 66 from 61 balls.
Speaking after the game Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi reflected on the significance of the win saying: I am quite happy, and all my teammates are happy. This was the best win.
“The confidence will be there for the next game and the whole country will be happy and proud with this win.”
He paid special tribute to his opening batsmen who set the platform for the win which lifted Afghanistan off the foot of the league table, and which relegated Australia to last place. “They get a lot of credit for the win today.
“Unfortunately, we had back-to-back wickets again today. We have to think about that.
“We had a good start and credit goes to Gurbaz for that. Ikram, he was with us from last two years but did not get too many chances. But me and the coach believed in him, and we really appreciate his effort. Against Pakistan in Sri Lanka, he batted beautifully. Today, he scored important runs for us.”
He was also full of praise for his spinners who brough the game home: “We have to score runs for them to have an impact.
“The whole world knows how good they are. I am very proud of them today.
“Fazal started very well, along with Mujeeb. That Bairstow wicket was very important. I realised the wicket was not supporting the batters when batting against the spinners.
“When I went to the pavilion, I felt 280-290 would be enough on this track. So, the belief is there, the trust is there and the talent is also there. Last couple of games, we did not finish well.
“We are looking forward to the rest of the tournament. Hopefully we can be positive. This was the first World Cup win for us since 2015 but not the last one,” he said.