One of the most memorable days for Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan arrived on a day when his team reached its maiden World Cup semi-final, beating Bangladesh in ‘Super 8s’ to qualify for semis of T20 World Cup.
This is a remarkable feat that will inspire young people in the country, according to their skipper.
“I think the semifinal is going to be a massive, massive like inspiration for the youngsters back home in Afghanistan. The first time we did it was under-19 level but this level we haven’t done that. Even super 8s was first time for us then in semis,” Rashid stated during the post match press conference.
The side’s commendable journey included notable wins against New Zealand and Australia.
Afghanistan supporters burst into ecstasy after an unprecedented victory, with pictures and videos of their celebrations circulating quickly on social media platforms.
The achievement emphasizes how much progress this nation has made in the limited overs format of cricket.
During last year’s ODI World Cup, they beat the former champions England as well as former victors Sri Lanka and Pakistan. In fact, they also continued their spree of defeating big cricketing nations in this T20 world cup too.
“So I think throughout the whole tournament we have played good cricket and I think we deserve to be in the semis. The way everyone took the responsibility of getting into the game and performing best for the team,” said Rashid.
“So I don’t know how I can describe my feeling but it’s a massive achievement for us as a team and as a nation to be in this stage.”
Teams like Australia, South Africa, and England all have faced great cricket from them. And that is the essence of T20. It is needed to have such self-confidence in our abilities to defeat any adversary as long as we follow certain principles and keep it simple.
Gulbadin Naib had a dizzy moment when he slipped at his back clutching his thigh while playing against Bangladesh. That happened after Trott told the team to slow down their pace.
However, Naib made a quick recovery and came back to the ground within no time only to dismiss Tanzim Hasan, who was batting on 15 off 10 deliveries by then. This fast comeback made many former cricketers and commentators question whether Naib’s assumed pain was genuine or not true.
Notwithstanding any wild guesses about this incident, Rashid played down its seriousness.
“Well, he got some cramps I don’t know what happened to him I don’t know what’s going on social media but that doesn’t matter…It is not something like brought (that made) a massive difference in the game.
“Five minutes later we were back on the field and absolutely nothing changed. In my opinion it is just a little injury comes up you take your time out.”
