- Afghanistan’s World Cup Journey
- Captain Shahidi’s Dedication
- Chasing Victory
Afghanistan maintained their World Cup semifinal qualifying aspirations on Friday by defeating the Netherlands by seven wickets in a low-scoring group match.
With eight points, Afghanistan advanced to fifth place in the standings, trailing New Zealand in terms of net run rate. Fourth-place teams progress to the semifinal round. Afghanistan, which had only reached the quarterfinals of two prior World Cups with a single victory, has now amassed four victories in India, including victories over the defending champions, England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
Captain Shahidi’s Dedication
“We are certainly making every effort to advance to the semifinals. If that occurs, it will be a significant accomplishment for our nation,” Hashmatullah Shahidi, captain of Afghanistan, said after guiding the run-chase to an undefeated fifty. “Three months have passed since my mother passed away; consequently, my family is in sorrow. That would be a tremendous accomplishment, not only for our nation but also for my family. A great number of refugees are currently struggling. Our thoughts and support are with the refugees during this trying period; I wish to consecrate this victory to those who are suffering.”
Chasing Victory
Afghanistan were 55 for two with 180 runs remaining to win, but Rahmat Shah’s 52 runs off 54 deliveries provided the foundation for a straightforward pursuit. Then, in the 32nd over, Shahidi led Afghanistan to victory with a knock of 56, including the game-winning boundary.
“Your path to wealth begins here – don’t wait, get your free Webull shares.”
The Netherlands had previously elected to bat first after winning the toss. However, within the first over, debutant Wesley Barresi was trapped at the wicket by Mujeeb Ur Rahman, securing his 100th ODI scalp. Shahidi had lauded Afghanistan’s batting and bowling for their contribution to the victory; however, it was their fielding that limited the Dutch to a modest total, as the following four batters were dismissed due to errors.
Max O’Dowd (42) appeared poised to score a significant amount with nine fours, but was dismissed by Azmatullah Omarzai’s excellent deep work. Omarzai smashed the stumps with a direct strike, rendering the opener’s dive in vain.
Ikram Alikhil, the Afghan keeper, dismissed Dutch captain Scott Edwards, the tournament’s leading scorer, with the first delivery after he launched a shot and stepped out of the crease without a clear sight of the ball.
“Absolutely not optimal; it is difficult to recover from four run outs in our top five. “I believed we got off to a good start and were in position for a large total, but we blew it,” Edwards said. “We believed a score of 280 would have been satisfactory. Our performance has been commendable in both batting first and defending tallies.”
Although Sybrand Engelbrecht patiently scored 58 as the only middle-order batsman offering resistance, the Dutch’s dismissal for 179 occurred in the 47th over. Mohammad Nabi took three wickets, while Alikhil was responsible for six dismissals.
The Road Ahead
Afghanistan has two more pool matches remaining, both against Australia and South Africa. The eighth-placed Netherlands play England, while India is the host nation.
