‘Aaj kaise neend aayegi pakistan ko’ – Fans react as Afghanistan beat Pakistan by 8 wickets in ODI World Cup 2023

The Afghanistan cricket team registered their second win of the ODI World Cup 2023, as they thrashed Pakistan by 8 wickets on October 23 at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Notably, the Men in Green had a stellar start to their campaign as they recorded a great win against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka in their first two games; however, Babar Azam and Co. have suffered three back-to-back losses against India, Australia, and Afghanistan.

Speaking about the game here, it was Pakistan skipper Babar Azam who won the toss and decided to bat first. Notably, after being elected to bat first, the Men in Green posted a decent total of 282/7 in the given 50 overs. Star batsmen Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam had struck out magnificent half-centuries, while Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed played a very crucial role in posting the challenging total against Afghanistan.

However, during the chase, the Afghanistan side had a powerful start as their openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zardan, piled up 65 and 87 runs, respectively, giving them a solid start against Babar Azam and Co. Notably, following openers dismissals, middle-order batsman Rahmat Shah and skipper Shahidi piled up 77 and 48 runs, which guided them to chase down the total with six balls to spare.

I am feeling great for myself and my country Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zardan

Meanwhile, star batsman Ibrahim Zardan, who received the Player of the Match award, expressed happiness after his win. The right-handed batsman has revealed his talks with Gurbaz about taking the innings deep against Pakistan. In addition, the 21-year-old cricketer revealed that Gurbaz supported him during their opening partnership, which helped them chase down the total.

“I wanted to go out there (during the run chase) with a positive mind and positive intent, and I did it. We (Gurbaz and himself) have played a lot of cricket with each other, we have good communication while running between the wickets. The way Gurbaz supported me (in that opening partnership) – helped me and we got the momentum in our favour. I am feeling great for myself and my country,” Ibrahim Zardan said after the win.

Check out how fans have reacted to this win: