ICC official website
Afghanistan created history after defeating the defending World Cup champions at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The Afghanistan skipper expressed how important this win is for their team, as it will be a great morale booster in the games ahead.
“I’m quite happy; all the teammates are happy. This is the best win for us; the confidence will be there for the next game, and I’m very proud,” Hashmatullah Shahidi said.
Shahidi praised his openers for giving them a steady start, especially Gurbaz (80) for his brilliant knock, supported by Ibrahim Zadran (28). Afghanistan’s first wicket partnership was 114 runs, which the team took to 284 in the first innings.
“The openers get a lot of credit. They gave us a great start, but unfortunately we lost back-to-back wickets in the middle again. A lot of credit goes to the openers, especially Gurbaz. Ikram was with us for the last 2 years and didn’t get a lot of chances; today I believed in him and gave him a chance, and he repaid my faith,” Shahidi added.
The spinning attack dismantled England’s batting order to the core. Rashid and Mujeeb both claimed three wickets each, followed by Nabi, who took two wickets for the team.
“Last couple of games we didn’t finish well, but the belief is there. This is just the first win; we are looking for more in the tournament. This was just the first one, not the last one,” Shahidi concluded.
