Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan is the happiest man after he led his team to their maiden T20 World Cup semifinal following their 8-run win against Bangladesh at the Arnos Vale Ground in St. Vincent on Tuesday, June 25.
After posting a total of 115/5 in 20 overs, Afghanistan bowlers, especially skipper Rashid Khan and Naveen ul Haq did a fantastic job bundling out Bangladesh for 105 in 17.5 overs. The target was revised to 113 after the match was interrupted by rain during Bangladesh's run-chase.
Rashid Khan (4/24) and Naveen ul Haq (4/26) combined picked eight wickets to help Afghanistan seal their semifinal berth. Naveen picked a final wicket of Bangladesh's tailender Mustafizur Rahman to propel Afghanistan to their first-ever T20 World Cup semifinal appearance.
Afghanistan camp went berserk as the players and support staff ran on to the ground to celebrate the historic triumph and sharing joyous moment of cheers and dances.
The entire Afghanistan team was up throughout the night as they celebrated their historic victory. In a video shared by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on its Instagram, Rashid Khan revealed that none of his players had slept as they were celebrating their historic milestone in their cricketing history.
"We haven't spelt. Nobody has slept so far. The whole night we were up and we celebrated a lot. Along with people back home in Afghanistan it was day time there and they were celebrating with their family and friends." Skipper Rashid said.
Afghanistan have had an incredible campaign in the T20 World Cup 2024. Rashid Khan-led side finished the group stage with three wins against New Zealand, Uganda and Papua New Guinea and a loss against West Indies. In the Super 8 stage, Afghanistan lost their opening match against India but managed to bounce with wins over Australia and Bangladesh to officially seal their spot in the semifinal.
Afghanistan will lock against South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2024 semfinal at the Brain Lara Stadium in Trinidad on Thursday, June 27.
