Afghanistan pacer Gulbadin Naib, who shone with a match-winning performance during their historic victory over Australia, believes that their team’s “journey starts now.” The Afghanistan team and their fans celebrated as they secured their first-ever T20I win against Australia.
The Australian duo of Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell seemed poised to take the game away, but Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan placed his trust in Naib to make a crucial breakthrough. Naib delivered by bowling four consecutive overs, taking four wickets, and conceding just 20 runs. He dismissed the hard-hitting trio of Stoinis, Maxwell, and Tim David, effectively turning the game in Afghanistan’s favor.
“We were waiting [for this] for a long time. It’s a great moment not just for me but for my nation and my people. [It is a] big achievement for our cricket. I have no words to say but thanks to the fans for supporting our career and cricket journey. It’s a great teamwork, we worked hard for the last two months and the result is in front of you,” Naib expressed during the post-match presentation.
The victory was particularly sweet for Afghanistan as it avenged the heartache inflicted by Australia in the ODI World Cup the previous year. In that match, Australia was struggling at 91/7, but Maxwell’s unbeaten 200 helped them chase down 292, leaving Afghanistan disappointed. However, seven months later, Afghanistan turned the tables with a spirited all-round performance, leaving Australia stunned.
“Thank god we at last beat Australia. It’s a great achievement for our cricket in Afghanistan. If you look at history of our cricket, it is not much. Last ten years, we achieved a lot of goals. This is a big achievement,” Naib said with a smile.
“We played very good cricket and in the first round we beat New Zealand. Then [to beat] Australia is not easy. They are a world champion team and it is a big achievement for our cricket. We can carry this to the next level. Our journey starts now. We are very lucky to have such a staff and management,” he added.
With renewed hope of securing a spot in the final four, Afghanistan is set to face Bangladesh on Monday at Arnos Vale Stadium.