ODI World Cup 2023

‘Kudrat ka nizam’ – Fans react as Afghanistan beat Pakistan by 8 wickets in ODI World Cup 2023

Afghanistan beat Pakistan for the first time in World Cup.

Afghanistan scripted history as they beat Pakistan for the first time in a World Cup match. Under the inspired performances from youngsters, Afghanistan overcame Pakistan by 8 wickets in MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai. After beating England earlier in the tournament, Afghanistan has stunned yet another opponent. With the win against Pakistan, Afghanistan saw the first instance of them winning two matches in a World Cup.

Pakistani captain Babar Azam won the toss and elected to bat first. On a tricky wicket to bat on, Pakistan got a good total of 282 runs on the board. It was a good enough total to defend against a team like Afghanistan. But the bowlers of Pakistan could not defend the total. Earlier with the bat, Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam scored fifty for Pakistan.

The top-order batters played slowly and allowed Afghanistan spinners to bowl in lengths according to their wish. It meant that the spinners like Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, and Noor Ahmad had a field day. Noor, in particular, was highly impressive on his World Cup debut. The 18-year-old claimed three big wickets of Babar Azam, Shafique, and Mohammad Rizwan.

Afghanistan
Afghanistan (Source: Twitter)

Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi take Afghanistan home 

In fact, Afghanistan’s win came on the back of the efforts of their youngsters. Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed’s cameos in the end propelled Pakistan to a total of 282 runs. But Afghanistan showed tremendous application to take the game away from Pakistan in an instant. In the powerplay overs, Rahmanullah Gurbaz attacked the Pakistan pacers for fun. Ibrahim was happy to play second fiddle to him.

The young opening duo ensured a big lead for Afghanistan. They did their job and gave the responsibility to Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi to see off the chase. The duo did exactly that. The fielding and bowling of Pakistan were poor. On helpful conditions, Pakistan could not make an impact with the ball. The poor fielding meant that there was no room for a comeback in the match. In the end, Afghanistan won the match by 8 wickets.

Here’s how the fans reacted to Afghanistan’s win – 

 

 

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