Captain Rashid Khan expressed that Afghanistan’s advancement to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2024 has fulfilled a prediction made by the iconic West Indies cricketer Brian Lara.

Lara had foreseen Afghanistan’s progression to the semi-finals before the tournament began.

“It’s a dream for us to be in the semi-finals. The way we started the tournament, the belief came when we beat New Zealand. It’s unbelievable. The only guy who put us in the semi-finals was Brian Lara and we proved him right. When we met him at a welcome party, I told him we won’t let you down,” Rashid remarked following the game.

Afghanistan’s victory over Bangladesh by eight runs (DLS method) on Tuesday marked their entry into the semi-finals, a first in their World Cup history.

Bangladesh, pursuing a rain-adjusted target of 114 runs in 19 overs, were dismissed for 105 in 17.5 overs.

“We thought 130-135 was a good score but we fell 15 runs short. We knew they would come hard at us and we knew that is what we could take advantage of. We didn’t need to do anything extra, just be clear in our plans. We wanted to make people back home happy, that was the discussion we had and everyone did a wonderful job,” the Afghan captain elaborated.

“In T20s if you get a good start, it helps us in the middle overs. They have given great starts to us in the whole competition. It makes it easier for us to go harder at the batsmen. They have delivered, they were very clear in their minds.

“It’s a massive celebration back home. It’s a big achievement for us as well. We have done that at U-19 level but at this World Cup, I don’t have any words to describe the feeling back home. We have to go into the semis with a very clear mind and make sure we enjoy the occasion.”

The semi-finals will see South Africa compete against Afghanistan, and England take on India, with both matches scheduled for June 27.

Source: BOL News

BDST: 1316 HRS, JUNE 25, 2024
MN