In a display of sportsmanship, Pakistan's cricket captain, Babar Azam, presented his bat to Afghanistan's opening batsman, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, in recognition of Gurbaz's outstanding performance during the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 match held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Monday, October 23. The match witnessed Afghanistan's historic victory over Pakistan by a resounding eight-wicket margin, marking a significant milestone in their cricketing journey.
Afghanistan secured their second win in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 and their maiden victory over Pakistan in 50-over cricket. Facing a challenging target of 283, openers Ibrahim Zadran and Gurbaz crafted a formidable 130-run partnership to keep the game well within reach for their team. Gurbaz was eventually dismissed by Shaheen Afridi in the 22nd over, and Rahmat Shah joined Zadran in the middle. Together, they added 60 runs for the second wicket, inching Afghanistan closer to the target. Zadran fell just short of his century, making 87 runs before being dismissed by Hasan Ali but the team team did not panic and comfortably won the match with an over to spare.
Despite a defeat, Babar Azam showed a great sportsman spirit an gifting his cricket bat to Gurbaz as a gesture of respect and camaraderie. The International Cricket Council (ICC) shared this moment, stating, "A gift from Babar Azam. The spirit of cricket alive and well."
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) expressed their gratitude to Babar Azam through their social media platform of X (formerly Twitter), stating, "Thank you @babarazam258 for your gift! 🤝 #AfghanAtalan | #CWC23 | #AFGvPAK | #WarzaMaidanGata."
Pakistan Find Themselves In Must-Win Situation
Afghanistan's victory over Pakistan further solidified their reputation as giant-killers in the tournament, following their previous triumph over England. This win propelled Afghanistan to the sixth position on the points table, while Pakistan retained fifth place with four points and a net run rate of -0.400. Pakistan are now placed in a situation where they need to win all their remaining matches to keep the hopes of a semi-final berth alive.
With the Afghan team riding high on their remarkable wins, they are gearing up to face Sri Lanka in their upcoming match on October 30 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.