Even though Afghanistan lost to South Africa, the team’s excellent performance in the tournament earns accolades from former cricketing legends.
The Afghans have rapidly risen in a sport that has been dominated by the likes of Australia, England, India, West Indies, South Africa and Pakistan. Photo: Reuters
While it was celebration time for the South Africans, who could finally rid themselves of the unwanted tag of being the biggest chokers in world cricket, the Afghanistan team was"hurting" as they started preparing for a journey back home. "I am very, very impressed by Afghanistan," Wasim told TRT World in an interview."They defeated top teams like New Zealand and Australia and reached the semi-finals. It's a great achievement, and I believe Afghanistan cricket is here to stay," added Wasim, who is counted among the greatest fast bowlers of all time in international cricket.
It's because the Afghans have rapidly risen in a sport that has been dominated by the likes of Australia, England, India, West Indies, South Africa and Pakistan. Thanks to their players' exploits at the world level, cricket has now become the most popular sport in a country that has repeatedly been ravaged by war and internal strife.It all began after the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, which forced millions of Afghans to seek refuge in neighbouring Pakistan.In the beginning, it was Pakistan who helped Afghanistan progress in cricket.
New Delhi, which was seeking to increase its influence in the region, started taking an interest in Afghanistan, and as part of its strategy, it adopted Afghan cricket. In the summer of 2018, BCCI invited then-Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani to watch Afghanistan play its first Test match in Bengaluru.
It seems that Afghanistan cricket has excelled due to Indian help, but Jalaluddin, a former Pakistan Test cricketer, believes that it was his country that played a bigger role.
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