Asia Cup 2018: When You Tie A Match With A Side Like India, It's Just Like A Win: Asghar Afghan

The way the Asia Cup panned out for Afghanistan, they deserved to bow out from the competition on high. Arguably the most exciting team in world cricket at the moment, Afghanistan finished top of Group B after thrashing Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

In the Super Four, they gave Bangladesh and Pakistan a run for their money before losing two thrillers. The two heartbreaking defeats ended their hopes of making it to the final. But their effort deserved recognition. And although they did not bow out of the competition with a win, they exited with a morale-boosting draw with high-flying India.

Batting first, Afghanistan rode on a superb century from Mohammad Shahzad and a quickfire fifty from Mohammad Nabi to post a challenging 252 for 8. In reply, India were all out for the same score with a ball remaining. India needed 7 runs from the last over bowled by Rashid Khan.

The leggie started the over with a dot before conceding a four. The equation was finally down to 1 from 2 balls but Ravindra Jadeja only managed to hit his shot straight to the fielder.

Speaking at the end of the game, Afghanistan skipper Asghar Afghan praised Shahzad and spinners before talking about the importance of the game.

“Today the wicket was a good one for us. Shahzad played really well and very positive cricket. Their opening partnership was good and our spinners did an equally good job. When you tie a match with a side like India, it’s just like a win. Such tough games are good for the fans as well. Every time we have asked him, Shahzad has done it for us. Again, I give him a lot of credit for his knock. Thank you very much,” he said.