NZ vs AFG: Emotional Rashid Khan Dedicates Historic Win Over England To His Countrymen

Afghanistan star Rashid Khan came up with an emotional statement after his team’s historic win over reigning world champions England in the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Having not won a World Cup match since their lone victory in the 2015 edition and starting the ongoing edition with two defeats, Afghanistan could not have asked for a better opposition to end their winless run.

The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side stunned the defending champions by 69 runs to register arguably the greatest win in their history. Riding on opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz‘s quickfire knock of 80 and another half-century from Ikram Alikhil, Afghanistan posted a competitive total of 284 runs.

In reply, England were all out for 215 runs to suffer their second defeat in three games in the ongoing tournament. Barring Harry Brook who scored 66, no other England batter could provide any resistance with the bat. With the ball, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman starred for Afghanistan, taking three wickets each.

Rashid Khan dedicates his win to the Afghan people:

Rashid Khan dismissed the dangerous Liam Livingstone before sending back Adil Rashid and Mark Wood to help Afghanistan win the game. After the game, the star leg-spinner dedicated to his countrymen who have faced very tough situations in recent times due to a series of devastating earthquakes. The earthquakes have completely devastated thousands of people, leaving many dead and others homeless.

“This is a big win for us. This kind of performance gives us the belief that we can beat any side on any day. It will give us the energy for the rest of the World Cup,” Rashid Khan told the broadcasters.

“Cricket is something that brings joy to the people back home. Winning the game against England is big for us. Recently, we had an earthquake back home. Over 3,000 people lost their lives, many houses were destroyed, so this win will put a little bit of smile on their faces and maybe, they can little bit forget those days,” he added.

Rashid Khan’s teammate Mujeeb also dedicated his Player of the Match award to his countrymen, saying: “I want to dedicate this award to the people back home, who have been affected by the earthquake. This is something we could do as a team and I could do myself as a player.”