People in Afghanistan went delirious after their men's national team registered a stunning upset win over Pakistan in the ICC World Cup 2023 in Chennai.
Afghanistan completely decimated Pakistan by 8 wickets to keep their campaign alive in the ODI World Cup and also leave the opposition on the brink of elimination from the prestigious tournament on Monday.
From children and locals celebrating on the streets of Kabul to people firing their guns in the open air, locals Afghans celebrated the victory like the national team won the World Cup in India.
Unprecedented scenes were witnessed in the capital city of Kabul and other parts of the war-torn country after Afghanistan registered the second biggest upset in the tournament after their maiden ODI World Cup win over defending champions England on October 15.
This was also Afghanistan's first win over Pakistan in one-day international cricket.
Videos of children and locals dancing on the streets of Kabul, firing gunshots and crackers bursting went viral on social media after Afghanistan chased down the target of 283 against Pakistan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Chasing a challenging target of 283 for victory, Afghanistan rode on superb batting performances from Ibrahim Zadran (87), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (65), Rahmat Shah (77*) and Hashmatullah Shahidi (48*) to register their first-ever ODI win over Pakistan after 7 failed attempts in the past.
"This win tastes nice. The way we chased was very professional. Looking forward for the other games. The way we chased today, we'll do it again. The quality cricket that we have been playing from the last couple of years, the belief was there when we were playing the Asia Cup also.
"At the start of the tournament, I said that we want to make this tournament historic for our country people. First was England, today Pakistan, looking forward for the other games.
"We'll try our best to play positive cricket and do a lot for our country in this World Cup," said Afghanistan skipper Hasmatullah Shahidi after the match.
Babar Azam leads from the front
Earlier in the match, Pakistan posted 282 for 7 on the board after winning the toss and electing to bat first at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Skipper Babar Azam struck a composed half-century before useful cameos by lower-order batters guided Pakistan to a challenging score.
Pakistan innings summary
Opener Abdullah Shafique made 58 off 75 balls and Babar got 74 off 92 balls, but had it not been for the efforts of Iftikhar Ahmed and the returning Shadab Khan, Pakistan would have finished with far less than what they eventually achieved.
While Iftikhar smashed his way to a 27-ball 40, Shadab contributed a breezy 40 in 38 deliveries. For Afghanistan, spinner Noor Ahmad picked up 3 wickets while Naveen-ul-Haq grabbed a couple of scalps.
