Afghanistan recorded yet another surprising success at the ICC World Cup 2023, this time against Pakistan, coming victors with an eight-wicket advantage.
Chasing a difficult target of 283 runs for victory, Afghanistan displayed outstanding batting efforts, led by Ibrahim Zadran (87), Rahmat Shah (77 not out), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (65), and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (48 not out).
Their heroic efforts helped Afghanistan to achieve their target with six balls remaining.
🏏 Match Summary 🏏
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 23, 2023
Afghanistan win by eight wickets.#PAKvAFG | #DattKePakistani pic.twitter.com/eL5uu7EgXA
This is the Afghanistan’ second shocker in the tournament. Previously, they stunned Defending Champions England.
Afghanistan’s chase began with a solid opening partnership, reaching 105-0 after 16 overs. Ibrahim Zadran hit 50 off 54 balls with eight boundaries, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz hit 50 off 38 balls with nine fours.
Afghanistan had won one of its previous four matches, while Pakistan, the 1992 champions, had suffered back-to-back setbacks after two successive opening wins.
Pakistan Previously lost to India and Australia and Won against Netherlands and Sri Lanka.
During Pakistan’s innings, captain Babar Azam and opener Abdullah Shafique both put in strong efforts, scoring half-centuries. Noor Ahmad, Afghanistan’s young leg spinner, halted Pakistan’s momentum by getting three vital wickets.
Despite a brief middle-innings collapse, Pakistan recovered owing to the 40 runs each by Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan.
It’s worth noting that Pakistan made a tactical shift by adding Shadab Khan into the squad, replacing spinner Mohammad Nawaz, who was ruled out due to sickness. Afghanistan, on the other hand, replaced fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi with left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad.
This entertaining match adds another fascinating chapter to the ICC World Cup 2023, leaving fans excited to see what surprises the competition has in store.
