The Afghanistan cricket team is heading to the semifinals of the T20 World Cup 2024. In the do-or-die match of the Super-8, Afghanistan defeated Bangladesh. With this victory, Afghanistan became the second team from Group 1 to reach the semifinals. The outstanding performance of the team brought immense happiness to captain Rashid Khan. Along with praising his players, Rashid also thanked legendary cricketer Brian Lara.
On the slow pitch of Kingstown, Afghanistan batted first and scored 115 runs on the scoreboard. Thanks to the brilliant performance of the bowlers, the Bangladesh team was stopped 8 runs short. After the splendid win, Rashid Khan said,
“Reaching the semifinals is like a dream for us. After defeating New Zealand, we believed we could make it to the semifinals. It’s incredible; putting my emotions into words is difficult. The team members are pleased with this great achievement. I am proud of this team.”
Rashid further said,
“Before the tournament started, Brian Lara was the only man who said we deserved to reach the semifinals. We have proven him right. Before the tournament, I told him that we wouldn’t disappoint him. We would achieve it and prove him right. Today, we did it.”
Rashid continued,
“We thought a score of 130-135 would be good on this wicket. But we fell short by 15-20 runs. However, it all depends entirely on the mindset. We knew they would try their best to achieve the target within 12 overs to reach the semifinals, and that’s where we could benefit. We just had to execute our plan properly.”
Lara Chose Afghanistan
Now, why did Rashid mention Lara? Let’s find out. Before the World Cup began, many greats started giving their predictions. During this period, they chose their four semifinalist teams, but Afghanistan’s name was nowhere to be seen. However, former West Indies great batsman Brian Lara surprised everyone with his prediction. During a show on Star Sports, Lara chose India, West Indies, and the defending champions England as the semifinalists. Meanwhile, Lara included Afghanistan as the fourth team.
