It was another historic day for Afghanistan in the ongoing ODI World Cup as they pulled off the highest-ever run chase against Pakistan in World Cups at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai on Monday, October 23. Afghan opener Ibrahim Zadran played the anchor role while Rahmanullah Gurbaz attacked Pakistan bowlers during the powerplay.
Gurbaz (65) and Zadran (87) added 130 runs for the opening wicket to give a flying start to their team before Rahmat Shah and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi closed out the game for the side.
The performance brought out a lot of criticism for the Pakistan team, who have now suffered their third straight loss in the competition. After wins over the Netherlands and then Sri Lanka, they suffered losses to India, Australia, and now Afghanistan. Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has not been happy with the side led by Babar Azam in this World Cup and took them apart while lending his expert opinion on the game.
"Afghanistan has played a lot better cricket than Pakistan in this World Cup. If Pakistan defeated Afghanistan here, it would have been an upset. I am making this huge statement because if you see Afghanistan's cricket in this tournament. They scored more than Pakistan against India's bowling attack. They also beat England," he said while commentating during the match.
Adding to his praise, Gambhir said, “Afghanistan made the chase look easy. Even India would have failed to complete the chase that easily as Afghanistan did against Pakistan. The batters played without any pressure and kept the required run-rate in check.".
It was a momentous occasion for Afghanistan and their fans as they have lost seven ODIs against Pakistan. In this game, all four batters played their parts to perfection in what was their highest run-chase in history of 50 over format.
Currently, Pakistan holds the fifth position. However, following three consecutive losses, another defeat against South Africa this week could likely close the doors to the knock-out stages for the 1992 champions.
Speaking after the match, veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi said, " “Big moment for the whole team, the whole of Afghanistan. We’ve been waiting for 10-12 years for such a moment and to win one game in the big event against Pakistan. Last 3 months we worked very hard, this is a lovely moment today.
"We beat England and now Pakistan, everyone is in a good mood. We can not only defend, but also chase well now. This win is the favorite, we have played them 7-8 games against them and in the last moment we have always lost,” he added.
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