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Rashid thanks fans at home for all their ‘support, love and prayers’

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Rashid Khan said on Saturday after Afghanistan’s resounding win against New Zealand in this year’s T20 World Cup that it had been one of the team’s greatest victories to date.

In his post-match interview, Rashed also thanked all the fans at home and around the world for their “love and support and prayers.”

This was a great motivator for the team, he said.

Discussing Afghanistan’s performance, he emphasized that it had been “a great team effort.”

“It's not just about the bowling. It's the batting, the way Ibrahim [Zadran] and [Rahmanullah] Gurbaz started,” he said, adding that they knew where their skills lay and how they could score.

“But the way they played, they didn't throw away their wickets early on when they had a few dot balls from overs seven to nine. I think that was the time when they thought about taking it deep and overall it was a great effort, great win for Afghanistan and it's a great feeling to be leading this side and winning against New Zealand."

He also said: “Cricket is the biggest source of happiness back home,” adding that the support of fans motivates the team.

He said he was sure the team’s win over New Zealand would bring fans at home great joy.

Rashid said this win was a big win and that the team will continue to try their best throughout the event.

In a post on X later Saturday, Rashid said: “There is no better feeling than this. Great team effort!”

Addressing the team in the change rooms after the match however, Rashid urged the players to "Stay humble. Stay grounded."

“We have natural skills. We need to know ourselves. We have not fully known ourselves yet. If we fully know ourselves, such teams cannot get anywhere close to us,” he said.

This came after Afghanistan thrashed New Zealand by 84 runs to grab top spot in Group C at the T20 World Cup at the Guyana National Stadium on Saturday.

Kane Williamson, New Zealand’s captain, meanwhile said in his post-match interview that “Afghanistan were outstanding.”

He said while New Zealand’s performance on the field had been disappointing, it was met with an outstanding performance by Afghanistan, which “showed their skill”

"Afghanistan outplayed us in all facets of the game," he said.

"From our perspective it wasn't good enough in terms of starting a tournament."

Afghanistan made their defence of 159 a very one-sided affair by bundling New Zealand out for just 75 with four-fours from Fazalhaq Farooqi and Rashid himself.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz meanwhile said in a video message after the match that the win was “unbelievable”.

“I know that people back home are so happy.

“I think everyone will be happy with the performance,” he said.

Afghanistan now top the Group C table after their second straight win, scripted by a second straight century opening partnership between Gurbaz and Ibrahim.

New Zealand, meanwhile, are at the bottom with a net run rate of -4.200 after losing their tournament opener by a big margin. They now have a challenging path to qualify for the Super Eights because their next game is against co-hosts West Indies in Tarouba.

Messages of congratulations have meanwhile been streaming in for the team, with some big name cricketers joining in.

Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan was one of them who lauded Afghanistan in a post on X. He said: "Well done Afghanistan on beating New Zealand.”

“If their batting clicks regularly they can be very dangerous side in this World Cup cos their bowling is top quality in these conditions,” he added.

Afghanistan’s next match is against Papua New Guinea on Friday, June 14.

Fans across Afghanistan will once again be able to tune in to Ariana Television and watch this match live.

Sunday’s clash

Meanwhile, the highly anticipated clash between Pakistan and India will get underway today (Sunday June 9) at 7pm Kabul time.

The match will be played in New York and it will be broadcast live on Ariana Television.

The pre-match show will start at 6.30pm on Ariana Television.

 

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Gurbaz ton guides Afghanistan to seal ODI series over Bangladesh

Gurbaz, who hit seven sixes and five boundaries in his eighth ODI century, fell in the 39th over with 61 needed.

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Rahmanullah Gurbaz hit a cracking century and Azmatullah Omarzai showed allround skills on Monday to give Afghanistan a five wicket victory over Bangladesh in their third ODI in Sharjah on Monday night.

Omarzai took four wickets before hitting an undefeated 77-ball 70 and opener Gurbaz hit a 120-ball 101 as Afghanistan chased down a 245-run target in 48.2 overs in Sharjah.

The victory gave Afghanistan a 2-1 win in the series in Sharjah. Afghanistan won the first match by 92 runs while Bangladesh took the second by 68 runs.

The series win is Afghanistan's third successive this year, having also beaten Ireland (2-0) and South Africa (2-1) following their wins over England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in last year's World Cup in India.

Gurbaz, who hit seven sixes and five boundaries in his eighth ODI century, fell in the 39th over with 61 needed.

Omarzai hit five sixes and three boundaries and added 58 runs with Mohammad Nabi (27-ball 34) to avoid any turnaround, hitting the winning six.

Speaking after the match, Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi said he was proud of his team.

"I am very happy as a captain," said Shahidi. "When we lost the toss we were a bit worried because it's tough to bat second in Sharjah but our batters did very well."

Bangladesh’s stand-in skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz praised Afghanistan.

"I think credit goes to Afghanistan the way they played in this series," he said.

"Gurbaz and Omarzai did very well and we couldn't get wickets to win the match."

Omarzai was awarded the Player of the Match for his outstanding all-round performance and managed to grab the award for the first time in international cricket.

The Player of the Series award went to Mohammad Nabi for his heroic all-round performance in the series.

He scored 135 runs at an impressive average of 67.50, including a crucial half-century (84).

Afghanistan National Cricket Team will now be gearing up for their all-format tour to Zimbabwe where they will be meeting the hosts in three T20Is, starting on December 9 in Harare, followed by as many ODIs and a two-match test series in Bulawayo.

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Bangladesh level series after beating Afghanistan by 68 runs 

Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat first, posting a total of 252 for seven

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Bangladesh defeated Afghanistan by 68 runs in the second ODI to level the three-match series 1-1 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE on Saturday. 

Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat first, posting a total of 252 for seven.

The game was a must-win for Bangladesh to keep the series alive after a 92-run defeat in the first match.

Chasing a target of 253, Afghanistan faced early setbacks, losing Rahmanullah Gurbaz to Taskin Ahmed in the fourth over. 

Afghanistan’s hopes rested on Rahmat Shah, who scored 52 from 76 balls. Shah, however, was run out in the 30th over, dealing a crucial blow to Afghanistan’s chase just as they were attempting to rebuild.

Afghanistan’s innings concluded at 184 in 43.3 overs.

The third and final ODI of the series will take place on November 11 at the same venue, with the winner set to claim the series.

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Afghanistan crush Bangladesh in landmark match at Sharjah

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Mohammad Nabi's 84 off 79 balls and Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar's six-wicket haul led Afghanistan to a 92-run victory over Bangladesh in Sharjah on Wednesday in the first one-day international of a three-match series.

Chasing a mediocre 236, Bangladesh were bowled out for 143 as they lost their last eight wickets for 23 runs in Sharjah, which became the first venue to host 300 men's international matches.

Afghanistan were reeling at 71-5 before captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (52) and Nabi lifted them to 235 in 49.4 overs.

Bangladesh cruised to 120-2 in the chase led by captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, but they collapsed after Nabi broke the partnership.

Sharjah will also host the remaining two matches in the series.

 

(Reuters)

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