Sport
Rashid says South Africa heartbreak echoes 2023 Australia loss: ‘It never leaves your mind’
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan says his team’s dramatic Super Over loss to South Africa in Ahmedabad has reopened memories of their painful defeat to Australia at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023—a result he admits “never goes out of the mind.”
Rashid, speaking in Delhi ahead of Afghanistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 match against UAE, said the team tried to unwind after the nail-biting defeat by ordering Peshawari food late at night, Espncricinfo reported.
”We were in Ahmedabad and we told the manager to order food. Peshawari food: their dal bukhara, dal makhani, I told him to order that and bring some tandoori chicken so that we can vent our anger on that,” Rashid said.
“No one should say that he did this or he did that because it brings negativity in the team,” he said. “No one has lost, just our team has lost. We put in a lot of effort, but we never blame any player for being in a Super Over. I always tell everyone that as a captain I don’t want to hear any of these things. It disappoints me more than the game when you’re blaming the players. We all put in the effort.”
Rashid admitted the loss has been difficult to shake.
“To be honest, it’s pretty hard,” he said. “It’s very, very hard to lose that game where we had it in our hand a couple of times and then it just slips off your hand and it disappoints you. It doesn’t go away from your mind. Like, the game we played against Australia in the 2023 World Cup at Wankhede, it never goes out of the mind, until we won against them in the 2024 World Cup. And then slowly it got out of the mind.”
He recalled gathering the team that night in Mumbai for a late dinner and a message of unity. “We had a good dinner and just talked positively, just to keep supporting each other. I feel like this is so important.”
Rashid said maintaining performance levels despite setbacks is part of the challenge. “It is quite challenging, I feel like out of 100 times, if you got the success 99 times, the one time you don’t get it, people will talk about that one time, and they forget (the good results) and that’s something which is more challenging.”
A reporter’s suggestion that he visit Lajpat Nagar for Afghan food brought a final smile. “Before, we used to go when we weren’t very famous,” Rashid joked. “Now it’s a bit difficult.”
Abu Muslim Farah beat Omar Zawak Herat 4-0 in the 30th match of the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League, delivering an impressive performance.
The match was played today (Wednesday) at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium.
Samiullah Naderi scored Abu Muslim Farah’s opening goal in the final minutes of the first half.
Abu Muslim Farah continued their attacking play in the second half, with Aman Sardari scoring the team’s second goal in the 69th minute with a spectacular header.
Omid Rajabi and Mirois Ghafouri then added two more goals to complete a 4-0 victory for Abu Muslim Farah.
Amanullah Sardari, captain of Abu Muslim Farah, was named Player of the Match against Omar Zawak Herat.
Abu Muslim Farah will face Ariana Khost in their next match on October 2, while Omar Zawak Herat will take on Istiqlal Kabul on the same day.
The sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League is being broadcast live on Ariana Television.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board’s High Performance Center is set to launch a nationwide fast-bowling talent identification program, titled “Afghan Thunder,” across several provinces throughout October.
According to the ACB, the program will begin in Kunduz on October 4, with assessments continuing in Herat, Kandahar, Kabul, Khost, Paktia and Kunar before concluding in Nangarhar on October 27.
The board says eligible participants must be between 19 and 26 years old, at least 180 centimeters tall, hold a valid electronic National ID (e-Tazkira) and be capable of bowling at speeds of at least 140 kilometers per hour.
The assessment schedule is as follows: Kunduz on October 4–5, Herat on October 9–10, Kandahar on October 12, Kabul on October 14–15, Khost on October 19, Paktia on October 21, Kunar on October 25 and Nangarhar on October 27.
The ACB has encouraged eligible players who believe they have the potential to develop into high-level fast bowlers to take part in the Afghan Thunder Fast-Bowling Talent Hunt Program on the designated dates.
The board says the initiative aims to identify promising fast-bowling talent from across Afghanistan and provide talented players with a pathway into the country’s high-performance cricket system.
Toofan Herat and Aino Mina Kandahar drew 1-1 in the 29th match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan on Tuesday.
Enayatullah Koohi scored the opening goal for Toofan Herat in the first half, but Ahmad Nabi Moqaddas equalized for Aino Mina Kandahar in the 32nd minute.
Both teams created chances to score in the second half, but neither side was able to find the net, and the match ended 1-1.
Toofan Herat committed 12 fouls and received one yellow card, while Aino Mina Kandahar committed 16 fouls and received two yellow cards.
Toofan Herat will face Arman FC in their next match on October 1, while Aino Mina Kandahar will take on Abu Muslim Farah on October 2.
The sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League is being broadcast live on Ariana Television.
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