The historic victory against Pakistan in the World Cup will have a ripple effect on Afghan cricket and inspire future players, Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott has said.
The Afghan batters methodically chased down the target of 283, focusing on singles and doubles to avoid pressure, winning the match by eight wickets with six balls to spare. It was their second victory in five matches and Afghanistan’s third World Cup victory.
It was also their first victory against neighbors Pakistan in eight One Day International (ODI) matches and the first World Cup victory in a Test against a Test nation.
“It will have a big ripple effect,” Trott told reporters. “I want to make sure (the players)… pass it on and remember that game in Chennai when we chased on 283 against Pakistan.”
The Englishman called the 130-run opening partnership put up by Rehmanullah Gurbaz (65) and Ibrahim Zadran (87) a “turning point” and praised Rahmat Shah, who played through several cramps to help stabilize the game when the first matches fell.
“You could easily… get a little nervous or panic… but the shot he played there to hit a straight six kind of broke the back of the game,” Trott said of Shah, who scored an unbeaten 77, 45 of the match. which came from one and two.
This victory, along with that of October 15 against defending champions England, propelled Afghanistan from the bottom of the rankings to sixth place before facing ninth-ranked Sri Lanka next Monday.
“I will tell the players to enjoy these wins, but as soon as we (get to) Pune… take confidence in the match and start looking forward to Sri Lanka,” Trott said.
