It’s already been a very memorable World Cup for Afghanistan, a country that qualified for the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup in 2015. The ODI World Cup 2023 is only the third participation of Afghanistan. But they have been brilliant so far in this tournament.
They beat teams like England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Netherlands. Today’s win over Netherlands keeps Afghanistan alive in the tournament. They are in fifth with 8 points, while Australia and New Zealand also have the same points. As a result, the door for the semifinal is still open for Afghanistan.
Afghanistan beat Netherlands
Scott Edwards, the captain of Netherlands, won the toss and opted to bat first. But The Oranje failed to get a good start as opener Wesley Barresi lost his wicket in the very first over. Spinner Mujib Ur Rahman picked his wicket for Afghanistan.
However, Netherlands made a good response after losing the first wicket. Opener Max O’Dowd tried to handle the disaster with Colin Ackermann. They made a partnership of 70 runs for the Oranje. But Max O’Dowd returned to the pavilion after being run out in the 11.3 over. He scored 42 off 40 before leaving the crease.
Afghanistan did a fantastic job in fielding as they picked up four wickets by run-outs. The scoreboard could have been different if the Oranje hadn’t lost Sybrand Engelbrecht’s wicket. Sybrand Engelbrecht smashed a half-century and was looking good. But he had to return to the pavilion after being run out! Sybrand Engelbrecht scored the highest 58 runs for the Dutches before leaving the crease.
After that, Afghanistan took full control of the match. Due to their aggressive bowling, the Oranjes were continuously losing wickets. From 92 to 97, Netherlands lost three more wickets. Eventually, the Dutches became all-out in just 179 runs as their remaining batters couldn’t fight against the Afghans bowlers.
Chasing a small target, Afghanistan lost two wickets in just 55 runs. Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz had gone after scoring 10, while Ibrahim Zadran left the crease with 20 runs. However, skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi strongly handled the situation with Rahmat Shah. They made a brilliant partnership of 74 runs, which got them closer to the target.
Although Rahamt Shah lost his wicket after scoring 52 runs, Hashmatullah Shahidi remained not out for 56 runs. In addition, Azmatullah Omarzai also contributed an unbeaten 31 off 28 to seal the match. As a result, the Afghans registered their 4th victory in the World Cup and kept their hope alive for the semifinal.
Hashmatullah Shahidi on making Semifinal
Afghanistan’s captain Hashmatullah Shahidi desperate to get into the semifinals. He said, “We all are very united, we all are enjoying the wins and all of them are thinking about the team. We are trying our best to make it to the semi-finals. If we make it, it would be a big achievement for us. I lost my mother three months back, so my family is in pain, so it will be a big achievement for our country first and then for me also.”A
