Heading into a Cricket World as underdogs is not everyone’s cup of tea, but the Afghanistan cricket team seem to be making it a habit to punch above their weight against teams ranked much higher up in the pecking order. We were all witness to one such upset today. The Afghanistan cricket team pops out to sing a protest song every once in a while, reminding us that if they really play to potential, they can turn the tide against the heaviest of the opponents.
Afghanistan against mighty England held their nerve and defeated the “attacking” champions (as Jos Buttler wants to call themselves) by a gigantic 69-run margin in New Delhi. The ‘Bazz-ball’ connoisseurs were unsuccessful in their chase of a 285 run target. Extinguishing England’s fiery run in cricket, Afghanistan bowled them out for 215 runs in a matter of 40.3 overs. The spin twins, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman orchestrated the collapse, picking 3 wickets each.
It’s no surprise that the Afghanistan cricket team called India their home for a long time. The team had practiced in Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium, their adoptive home. Practicing in one of the toughest conditions in India meant Afghanistan had a foresight into what the World Cup in India could be like. And if anyone was to cause an upset, it was them. With some of the best spinners in the squad who know Indian conditions like the back of their hands, they were sure to pull a rabbit out of their hat.
Outnumbered by catastrophes, the Afghanistan cricket team headed into the world cup with odds stacked against them. After an early exit from the Asia Cup, the team had hoped for an earlier start to their World Cup camp in India, only to learn that they would get their visas once the tournament was on. After the Taliban takeover, relationships between the two countries had gone sour and that meant all sorts of visa troubles for the Afghanistan players. When so much is going wrong, some things are supposed to go right, right?
In the first week of October, as the team started their World Cup campaign, the Afghan players were jolted by the news of their homeland being hit by an enormous earthquake. The after-effects were felt just not in Afghanistan but also in the hearts of the players.
Rashid Khan, the star of the team, soon announced that he would be donating all his World Cup match fees to the victims of the earthquakes and many joined in his efforts to provide relief.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman who alongside Rashid Khan picked up three wickets, while only giving away 51 runs in 10 overs clinched the Player of the match award dedicated it to the troubled people back home.
“This trophy is for the people back home who are affected by the earthquake in Herat. This win is for them. This is something we could do as a team and I could do myself as a player.”
Minnows, underdogs, dark horse, whatever you like to call them is fair. Know this – no matter what, no tremors will shake the nerves of this Afghanistan team.