After getting the better of the defending Cricket World Cup champions England, Afghanistan proved once again that the performance was not a flash in the pan as they beat Pakistan in Chennai on Monday. Against a much-fancied bowling attack of Pakistan, Afghanistan batters played with confidence and quite easily surpassed a 283-run target. The loss put a lot of focus on Pakistan too, who have now lost three matches in a row. After getting beaten by India and Australia, the Babar Azam-led side failed to end on the winning side against a lower-ranked Afghanistan too.
However, former Indian cricket team opener Wasim Jaffer felt that the win by Afghanistan ‘was not an upset’.
“Tough pill to swallow for Pakistan but trust me this is not an upset. Afg came close to beating Pak in recent times as well but got over the line today thanks to top batting effort by the top 4. Very well played @ACBofficials #PAKvAFG #CWC2023,” Wasim Jaffer wrote on X.
Tough pill to swallow for Pakistan but trust me this is not an upset. Afg came close to beating Pak in recent times as well but got over the line today thanks to top batting effort by the top 4. Very well played @ACBofficials #PAKvAFG #CWC2023 pic.twitter.com/gquQ7fE5Ps
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) October 23, 2023
Riding on a dazzling all-round performance in the field, Afghanistan stunned their neighbours with a thumping eight-wicket defeat on a sluggish Chennai surface.
The opening pair of Gurbaz (65), and Zadran (87), along with Rahmat Shah (77)* at No.3, starred with the bat to help Afghanistan post a win for the ages.
After the mauling against India, Pakistan’s bowlers had another forgettable outing, failing to put any pressure on the Afghan batters despite defending an above-par total of 283 on a sluggish and challenging Chennai surface.
Chasing 283, a challenging total on a Chennai pitch affording uneven bounce, Afghanistan cantered to a win by eight wickets, with an over to spare.
Afghanistan has now got the better of two cricketing powerhouses — former world champions Pakistan and the defending champions England. The win lifted Afghanistan to sixth on the points table. On the other hand, Pakistan stayed in the fifth position with four points and a net run rate of -0.400.
The high-flying Afghans will play Sri Lanka next on October 30 at the high-scoring Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.
With ANI inputs
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