Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi thanked the Indian fans for coming out and supporting Afghanistan in the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka by 7 wickets at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Monday, October 30.
ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023: Full Coverage
Speaking after their win, Shahidi thanked the Indian fans for coming out and supporting them. Afghanistan chased down 242 runs against Sri Lanka with 7 wickets and 20 balls in hand.
“I want to congratulate all the Afghanistan supporters and especially want to thank the Indian fans for coming out and supporting us,” said Shahidi.
Shahidi showered praise on spinner Rashid Khan, calling him the best in the world, adding that his is full of energy and positivity. Rashid played his 100th ODI for Afghanistan in Pune and picked up the wicket of Dhananjaya de Silva.
“Rashid Khan is a special player and the best player in the world. One word for Rashid Khan I want to say that he has been energetic. Very full of energy and positivity and fills plenty of energy in the boys on the field,” Shahidi added.
In the first innings, Afghanistan bundled Sri Lanka for 241 runs in 49.3 overs with pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi picked up four wickets. In reply, skipper Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai and Rahmat Shah smashed half-centuries to guide the Afghans to a comfortable 7-wicket win in Pune.
With this win, Afghanistan moved up to fifth place in the World Cup 2023 points table and have firmly planted themselves in the race for the semi-finals. The Afghans have now defeated three former world champions in the ongoing ODI World Cup, coming out on top against defending champions England, 1992 champions Pakistan and winners in 1996 Sri Lanka.
Following their win against Sri Lanka, Afghanistan will turn their attention towards the Netherlands, with the two sides set to clash at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on November 3.
Edited By:
Rounaq Sehrawat
Published On:
Oct 30, 2023
