Afghanistan stun Pakistan with eight-wicket victory in Cricket World Cup

Afghanistan completed another stunning victory in the 2023 World Cup, overwhelming Pakistan by eight wickets in Chennai on Monday.

If their victory over England in Delhi was impressive, the triumph over arch-rivals Pakistan was clinical as they chased down 283 with eight wickets in hand and an over to spare.

Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran hit fifties, putting together 130 for the first wicket. Thereafter, Rahmat Shah and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi controlled the chase expertly, hardly putting a foot wrong to emerge as deserving winners.

Pakistan needed a strong start to make up for the dew that was expected to fall later in the evening. But it was Afghanistan’s openers that landed the first blow, and then kept on punching.

Gurbaz (65) broke free in the eighth over, taking on Haris Rauf who was bowling his first. He drove the quick for three crisp boundaries through the off side before an inside edge past the keeper handed him the fourth for the over. Afghanistan were up and away.

Pakistan had two leg-spinners in the side – Shadab Khan and Usama Mir – but they did not get the same consistent purchase off the pitch as their Afghan counterparts.

However, the reintroduction of pace saw Pakistan come back into the contest. Shaheen Afridi broke the opening stand as he got Gurbaz caught off a top edge at third man. The opener departed after a 53-ball knock that included nine fours and a six.

Zadran was approaching his century when the ball began to stop on the surface and also reverse, with Hassan Ali applying the brakes. The veteran seamer got Zadran (87) caught behind after his scoring came to a halt, re-energising the Pakistan camp.

But Afghanistan regrouped. Shah (77 not out) and captain Shahidi (48 not