New Delhi: Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan expressed his pleasure after Afghanistan paved their way to the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-finals, knocking out Bangladesh and Australia to clear off the tussle. The young captain also remembered his chat with West Indies legend Brian Lara who, as it turned out to be, made an accurate prediction of Afghanistan as the semi-finalists before the beginning of the marquee event.
Afghanistan beat Bangladesh by eight runs via the DLS method in a low-scoring thriller at the Arnos Vale Ground in St. Vincent on Monday to storm into their first-ever semi-final in the history of the T20 World Cup. This was Afghanistan’s fifth win of the ongoing event as they surpassed their own record of four wins registered in the 2016 edition. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Rashid was all smiles and lavished huge praise on his team for showcasing tremendous efforts.
He didn’t keep away the man who believed in Afghanistan as one of the semi-finalists. Brian Lara had predicted it before the start of the event that the Afghan side would make it and Rashid had a chat with him as well. During the presentation, he recalled his chat with Lara, revealing how the team was able to fulfill their promise.
“The only guy who put us in the semifinal was Brian Lara and we proved that right. Before the competition at the welcome party, I told him, ‘We won’t let you down. We’ll make it through and prove you’re right,” Rashid said… and boy he did it to make the legend proud.
Shocking New Zealand and Australia
Afghanistan registered big wins in the tournament against New Zealand and Australia and with the Bangladesh win, knocked out the Kangaroos to make it to the final four stage. Rashid said that it all feels like a dream to him and that the belief to move further in the tournament came in after their momentous win against New Zealand.
“It’s something like a dream for us as a team to be in the semifinal. It’s all about the way we have started the tournament. The belief came while we beat New Zealand. It’s unbelievable, I don’t have any words to describe my feelings. Back home, everyone is so happy for this big achievement,” Rashid said.
Watch Rashid Khan’s reaction after the win –
Afghanistan will now face South Africa in the first semi-final scheduled at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on Wednesday.
As Afghanistan became the final team to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-finals, the prediction of a West Indies legend proved to be correct. Post-match Rashid Khan recalled his chat with the great. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
