In a historic moment, Afghanistan secured their first-ever victory against Pakistan in a World Cup match. The 22nd match of the ICC World Cup 2023, held in Chennai, witnessed Afghanistan’s dominant performance as they defeated Pakistan by 8 wickets.
The highly anticipated clash between Pakistan and Afghanistan took place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. This encounter, reflecting the long-standing rivalry between Asian sides, also symbolizes the political tensions between the two nations. Both teams were eager for a crucial victory in the Cricket World Cup.
Pakistan, facing a challenging task of reviving their faltering campaign in the Cricket World Cup, won the toss and chose to bat first. Their innings concluded with a score of 282. In response, Afghanistan successfully chased the target in 49 overs, losing only 2 wickets.
Pakistan had previously triumphed over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka in the ICC event but suffered consecutive losses to arch-rivals India and Australia. These setbacks led them to the fifth position on the points table, with only the top four teams advancing to the semifinals.
On the other hand, Afghanistan, led by Hashmatullah, had achieved a remarkable victory over defending champions England in the Cricket World Cup but had also experienced three defeats. Despite their strong performance in the CWC, Afghanistan had not managed to defeat Pakistan in the ODI format, with Pakistan winning all seven games played between the two teams in the last decade.
quads in ICC World Cup 2023:
Pakistan
Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Usama Mir, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf.
Afghanistan
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq.
