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'First Was England, Today Pakistan' - Hashmatullah Shahidi On Afghanistan's Historic Triumph

image-lo3sndhdCaptain Shahidi & Rashid Khan with rest of Afghan players (x.com) 

Afghanistan's historic triumph against Pakistan at the ICC World Cup 2023 on Monday (October 23) was greeted with open arms by skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi, who deemed it among his spirited troops' finest ever wins on the cricket field. 

As Afghans upstaged their longstanding nemesis, Pakistan, in Chennai after a clinical performance with the bat, captain Shahidi hailed his team for their "quality" display after restricting the star-studded Pakistan batting line-up to 282/7 and chasing the stiff target down with eight wickets still intact. 

It was Afghanistan's second such remarkable upset of the tournament after dislodging defending champions England in Delhi. As grand a success it was at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground, that win came on the back of Afghanistan's traditional strength - spin bowling. 

Now it was their understated batting unit, led by promising openers Rahmatullah Gurbaz (65), Ibrahim Zadran (87) and the darkhorse middle-order pairing of Rahmat Shah (77*) and Shahidi (48), which propelled the side through on a tricky pitch at MA Chidambaram Stadium.

 

Shahidi Soaks In Historic Triumph Against Pakistan 

Even as tension was brewing about the Afghanistan run-chase with their fans fearing a late collapse, which would've reminded everyone of their previous falls at the last hurdles, Shahidi and rest went about their business with a great sense of calm and maturity versus a Pakistan attack struggling for control to rewrite history books. 

"This win tastes nice. The way we chased was very professional. The quality cricket we are playing for the last couple of years... the belief was there when we were playing Asia Cup also," Shahidi said at the post-game presentation ceremony. 

"At the start of the tournament, I said we want to make this tournament historic for our country's people. First was England, today Pakistan, and looking forward for the other games," he added. 

Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, who has witnessed the ups and downs of Afghanistan's journey as a player and former skipper, hailed the Pakistan win as a result greater than the one achieved against the Englishmen for the sheer pressure and the weight of history staked against them. 

"It's a big moment for the whole team, but also whole Afghanistan as well," Nabi said. "We have been waiting for the last 10-12 years. We have played around eight games against Pakistan, and we won one game in a big event." 

"It's a big achievement for the guys. From the last three months, we've been working very hard. We played a series against Pakistan, then Asia Cup, and then come here to the World Cup." 

"It's a lovely moment today. We beat England as well, and now Pakistan. The team is confident now. And the team knows if we score around 280-290 on this kind of surface, it's defendable and chaseable as well," he added.