Afghanistan were so close, yet so far. The team led by captain Hasmatullah Shahidi faced a heartbreaking defeat, thanks to Glenn Maxwell’s super-heroic unbeaten 201.
Despite the loss, the Afghanistan cricket team has been one of the most loved groups this World Cup. Their performances have been top-notch with back-to-back wins. Cricket lovers across the world are super impressed with their performance. Indian cricket fans cannot help but cheer for the Shahidi-led team who are now the best Asian team after India.
They have had a record-breaking Cricket World Cup campaign so far, beating three former champions including England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka as well as the Netherlands. While host India and South Africa have already booked a seat for the semifinals, Afghanistan had to win both the matches against Australia and South Africa.
However, Maxwell’s terrific performance broke their hearts. Now, they have to face South Africa in Ahmedabad. A win against South Africa will ensure that they will have the upper hand, but that is not enough.
Due to the low run rate, Afghanistan have to beat South Africa by a big margin. Their chances of qualifying for the semifinals will also grow if both New Zealand and Pakistan lose their next matches.
New Zealand will face Sri Lanka on November 9 in Bangalore while Pakistan is all set to lock horns with England on November 11 in Kolkata.
Speaking about the chances, Afghanistan captain Shahidi said, “As they say, the sky’s the limit.”
“As of now, our mission is to reach the semifinals. However, I would be happier if we won the World Cup. It is not that as far as if we reach the semifinals we would say it’s enough,” he was quoted as saying by Aljazeera.