Pakistan Vs Afghanistan: The Emerging Hot Rivalry In World Cricket That Grows In Profile

What is it about Afghanistan that brings the best and worst out of Pakistan, and vice-versa? Two teams that represent countries which share a border and are not exactly the best of friends with historical tensions provide the backdrop to this cricketing rivalry.

Their animosity was well-evident on Thursday, when Naseem Shah was using the choicest of Pashto abuses when he went on a victory-lap that was more provocative and aggressive than a celebration.

This is a sequel to what happened at the Asia Cup last time when the two teams clashed in the T20 format, where players from either side were on the verge of coming to blows with each other.

The Afghans are a fast-improving and strong team in limited overs cricket, largely due to the world-class spinners they have in their ranks. The likes of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Mohammad Nabi etc. can give the world's best batsmen a torrid time with their wily tricks with the ball.

With formidable batsmen like Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran leading the charge at the top of the order, Afghanistan can establish an exceptionally strong base for their team to construct upon. This was vividly demonstrated in the second ODI, where they effectively mounted pressure on Pakistan through their batting prowess.

The aggression and celebration that we saw from Shah is an indication of what and how much this rivalry meant to the Pakistani speedster, who ironically has been a thorn in Afghanistan's flesh with his bat and not the ball.

This rivalry has all the potential of becoming one of the great ones in world cricket with the way it has been shaping up.

The Afghans have been giving Pakistan a run for their money as they showed by clinching the three-match T20I series 2-1 in March this year.
When these two teams meet, the controversies are never far away as the Shadab Khan run out by Fazalhaq Farooqi showed.

With Naseem Shah having the last laugh after smacking a boundary off the fifth ball and taking Pakistan to victory, the Afghans would have felt really hard done.

Now, that is what professional sport is all about: Exhilaration and ecstasy at one end and agony and despair at the other side.

The Pakistan-Afghanistan is a match that will be eagerly watched by cricket fans in the coming years with all the heady concoction of pace, spin, aggression, provocation, controversies etc.

It may not have the hype and profile of an India-Pakistan game but it certainly is a rivalry that is on the rise.

Whether Naseem Shah was right to go on a rampage and throw away his helmet and bat during his celebrations is subjective. However, his celebration was an outpouring of a man who was waiting to vent out against his rivals across the Durand Line.