Afghanistan put on a superb batting and bowling display to hand Pakistan a stunning eight wicket defeat in the Cricket World Cup(CWC) on Monday. In an interview with The Kabul Times correspondent, Sayed Naseem Saadat, the spokesperson for the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said that Afghan Atalan (players) have been able to first beat England and then Pakistan in One Day International (ODI) cricket held in India. “Thanks to Almighty Allah that our players had good achievements in all areas as bowling, batting and fielding,” Sadat said. Electing to bat first, Pakistan set a target of 283 runs for Afghanistan at the loss of 7 wickets. Skipper Babar Azam scored the highest from Pakistan, 74 runs off 92 balls, while opener Abdullah Shafiq contributed 58. Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed both contributed 40 runs each down the batting order, helping the team exceed a total of 280 runs. “Afghanistan’s openers gave their team a brilliant start. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran became national superstars after they added 130 runs for the first wicket. Later on, Rahmanullah Gurbaz was taken out by Shaheen Shah Afridi at 65 runs. Post his departure, Zadran and Rahmat Shah added 60 runs for the second wicket. Ibrahim Zadran later departed at 87 runs,” the ACB spokesperson said. Both teams made one change in their Playing XI as Pakistan’s Shadab Khan replaced Mohammad Nawaz, while Afghanistan saw Noor Ahmad come in for Fazalhaq Farooqi. “Noor Ahmad Lakanwal was given a chance to play against Pakistan. In his first game, Noor Ahmad, who stood out as the most effective bowler for Afghanistan, secured three wickets for 49 runs, while Naveen-ul-Haq added two wickets to his name, conceding 52 runs,” Sayed Naseem Sadat added. The ACB spokesperson further said that Afghanistan’s cricket team can defeat the biggest teams in the world, adding that they would play well against Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Australia and South Africa and beat them in the ODI cricket in India. The win is Afghanistan’s firstever over Pakistan in eight ODIs and came eight days after their shock victory over defending champions England in Delhi. The defeat leaves Pakistan’s World Cup campaign in disarray with three defeats in five games and a formidable South Africa to face at the same venue on Friday. In contrast, Afghanistan’s campaign is slightly revived with two wins in five matches and struggling Sri Lanka as their next opponents in Pune on Sunday. The win was greeted with cheers and fireworks across the capital Kabul and provinces for at least 15 minutes after the match concluded. Samiullah Momand
A big victory for Afghanistan; Pakistan beaten for the first time in ODI cricket
