Kudos to Afghanistan! They had won just one World Cup match in the previous two editions, but now they’ve defeated England and Pakistan, two teams considered favourites. It was a clinical performance.
Afghanistan outperformed Pakistan in every aspect of the game, with a solid opening partnership, followed by a steady middle-order performance that saw them achieve the target with an over to spare.
Despite losing the toss and opting for four frontline spinners on a slow Chepauk pitch, they made a strong comeback. Pakistan had a solid start, scoring 56/0 in the first powerplay, but Afghanistan’s spinners slowed them down and took wickets in the second powerplay.
Pakistan managed to reach 282, which seemed like a competitive total. However, what happened next was truly remarkable – Afghanistan displayed a masterclass performance. After the match, Babar Azam said that this hurts us. We had a good total. In the bowling, we weren’t up to the mark as we were not taking wickets in the middle overs. If you are not good in even one department, then you’ll lose the game. We didn’t stop boundaries and gave away runs, which cost us. Bowling we started well; in the middle overs, we needed wickets but couldn’t take any.
Ibrahim Zadran was declared player of the match for his studpedous innings.
Earlier, Babar Azam, won the toss at the MA Chidambaram Stadium and chose to bat against Afghanistan on Monday. Both teams find themselves in must-win situations and are determined to secure two points at all costs. Afghanistan has only managed to win one game out of their first four matches, while Pakistan has won two. Despite a remarkable final over delivered by Naveen-ul-Haq, Pakistan scored an impressive 61 runs in the last five overs, resulting in a competitive total on a slow pitch. Pakistan’s decision to bat paid off as their opening pair had a strong start, amassing 56 runs in the initial powerplay without losing a wicket.
However, Imam fell victim to a short ball, marking the third such dismissal in the competition, prompting Afghanistan to turn to spin bowling. This tactic slowed down the scoring rate, but Shafique and Babar Azam managed to build a fifty-run partnership for the second wicket. On his World Cup debut, Noor Ahmad made a significant impact by taking two crucial wickets in just two overs, removing both Shafique and Rizwan. Despite Afghanistan’s spinners’ attempts to control the scoring, Pakistan’s captain reached a fifty before Babar was dismissed while trying to accelerate the scoring.
Nonetheless, in the final powerplay, Shadab and Iftikhar Ahmed provided the much-needed impetus. Iftikhar survived Rashid Khan’s bowling and showcased his ability to take on the fast bowlers, contributing a valuable 27-ball 40. Shadab, with his 38-ball 40, further boosted Pakistan’s total to over 282 for seven.
