Gunfire And Crackers: Celebrations In Kabul As Afghanistan Stun Pakistan In World Cup

24.10.2023 - 05:55 sports.ndtv.com

The Afghanistan cricket team secured a historic victory over Pakistan in the Cricket World Cup 2023 on Monday, beating the former champions by 8 wickets to revive their campaign.

While the defeat leaves Pakistan's semi-final hopes hinging, Afghanistan truly lived up to their reputation of giant killers, having already stunned defending champions England in the tournament.

The depth of Afghanistan's first-ever ODI win against Pakistan can be understood by the celebratory videos that have emerged from back home in Kabul.

Firecrackers and gunfire could easily be seen in the capital as the Afghans celebrated the historic moment in their relatively young cricketing history.

cricket Pakistan Cricket Team World Cup 2023 cup as Babar Azam Ibrahim Zadran Rahmanullah Gurbaz India Afghanistan Pakistan

Pakistan's forgettable outing at the ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 ended with a loss against England on Saturday. With four wins in nine games, the Babar Azam-led side finished fifth in the 10-team competition. There was not much positive to be taken from the match for Pakistan. However, there was an awkward moment when former England captain Nasser Hussain was amused with the wicketkeeping of Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan on one occasion.

South Africa vs Afghanistan, Cricket World Cup 2023: Fantasy XI Prediction, Top Captaincy And Vice-Captaincy Picks

Afghanistan will go up against South Africa in match No. 42 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Friday, November 10. The match will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. It has been smooth sailing so far for South Africa, besides the defeats to Netherlands and India, one of which came in the last match. The team renowned for its high-scoring prowess with an array of stars in the batting line-up has struggled whenever they batted second and it may be a cause of worry for the management.

Team Director Seeks 'Divine Help' To Save Pakistan's Cricket World Cup 2023 Semifinals Dream

The race for the semi-finals have intensified. Three teams - Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan - are on eight points from as many matches. With only one spot left in the top-four, the three side's last game will be crucial. Not even a win may be enough if the other team is ahead on run-rate. Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur sought "divine help" on Monday as the 1992 champions braced for one last push to squeeze into the World Cup semi-finals before piling on the praise for "game-changing" opener Fakhar Zaman. Pakistan have recorded back-to-back wins over Bangladesh and New Zealand to reignite their campaign with Zaman returning from a knee injury to hit 81 and then a blistering 81-ball 126 not out against the Kiwis. With eight points from as many games, Pakistan not only need to beat England in their last game in Kolkata on Saturday but also hope New Zealand lose to Sri Lanka in Bengaluru two days earlier or that the match is washed out.

What Afghanistan's Loss Means For Pakistan And New Zealand In Cricket World Cup 2023 Top 4 Race

Glenn Maxwell produced a knock to remember as Australia became the third team to qualify for the Cricket World Cup 2023 semifinals with a sensational win over Afghanistan in Mumbai on Tuesday. Chasing a target of 292, the multiple time world champions looked in a spot of bother after losing seven wickets for just 91 runs. However, Maxwell went on to slam the first double century by an Australian batter in Cricket World Cup history as his partnership with Pat Cummins proved to be the deciding factor. As a result, Australia have 12 points and will finish third in the standings irrespective of what happens in their last match.

Midas Touch? The Sachin Tendulkar Factor Driving Afghanistan In Cricket World Cup 2023 Game Against Australia

Among all Afghan players, Ibrahim Zadran spent the longest time with Sachin Tendulkar on the eve of their Cricket World Cup 2023 match against Australia, taking batting lessons from the all-time great. The one-on-one chat with the master had its effect, for the 21-year-old opener on Tuesday became the first player from Afghanistan to record a hundred in a World Cup match. Needless to say, Zadran thanked the batting great for his invaluable tips moments after reaching the landmark. Thanks to his brilliant knock of 129, Afghanistan posted a challenging 291 for five against an attack comprising Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa.

Netherlands vs Afghanistan, Cricket World Cup 2023: Clinical Afghanistan Secure Big Win, Keep Alive Semifinal Hopes

Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi and Rahmat Shah made well-compiled fifties and veteran Mohammad Nabi produced a stifling spell as Afghanistan continued their dream run in the World Cup, registering a smooth seven-wicket victory over Netherlands to keep their semifinals hopes alive in Lucknow on Friday. In the battle between two giant-killers of this showpiece, Afghanistan rode on their spinners and brilliant fielding to restrict the Dutch to 179 all out and then chased down the target in 31.3 overs.