3 times Afghanistan snatched defeat from the jaws of victory ft. 2023 World Cup
Afghanistan cricket has grown by leaps and bounds over the last 14 years. While teams like the West Indies, Sri Lanka, etc. have deteriorated over the last decade, Afghanistan have managed to make significant progress.
The Asian team played their first ODI match in 2009 against Scotland and their first T20I match in 2010 against Ireland. It took them a while to play their first Test match, which came against India in 2018.
Although they usually play against relatively easier oppositions in limited-overs cricket, they have a respectable record of 77 wins and 78 losses in ODIs and 74 wins and 42 losses in T20Is.
By far, their best performance in a global tournament has come in the ongoing 2023 World Cup. The Afghans had won just one match in an ODI World Cup prior to this tournament, and that was against Scotland in 2015. This year, they have registered four wins, including victories over England and Pakistan.
They were also in with a fighting chance of making it to the semi-finals if they managed to beat Australia at the Wankhede Stadium on November 7. The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side were dominant for the majority of the game. However, they were denied victory by the brilliance of Glenn Maxwell, who scored a double century.
On that note, let's look at three matches where Afghanistan lost a match after being in a strong position.
#1 Afghanistan vs Australia (2023 World Cup)
Skipper Shahidi won the toss and elected to bat first on what looked like a fine batting surface in Mumbai. Ibrahim Zadran's unbeaten 129 off 143 balls was the highlight as they posted 291/5. Josh Hazlewood (2/39) was the pick of the Aussie bowlers.
The Afghani bowlers made a solid start to the second innings and picked up four wickets in the first powerplay. They then reduced Australia to 91/7 in the 19th over. At this point, with another 200 runs still to score, Afghanistan were the firm favorites.
But Glenn Maxwell (201*) then played arguably the greatest ODI knock of all time. His double century came in 128 balls, as he broke several records despite battling through cramps. Pat Cummins (12 of 68 balls) supported him brilliantly as they won the game by three wickets.
#2 Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka (2023 Asia Cup)
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka chose to bat first after winning the toss in this Group B match of the 2023 Asia Cup. Kusal Mendis top-scored with 92 off 84 balls after the openers gave the Lankans a solid start. They reached 291/8 in 50 overs, as Gulbadin Naib's four wickets put a halt on their proceedings at regular intervals.
Despite losing both openers within the first five overs, Afghanistan managed to recover well. Rahmat Shah (45), Shahidi (59), and Mohammad Nabi (65) ensured that their side were in control of the game. The scoreboard read 201/5 after Nabi's dismissal in the 27th over.
They needed just 90 runs to get in around 140 deliveries, and the likes of Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, and Rashid Khan were still to be dismissed. However, the wickets kept tumbling one by one. They were 289/8 at the start of the 38th over, but Dhananjaya de Silva scalped two wickets as Sri Lanka won by two runs.
#3 Afghanistan vs Pakistan (2022 Asia Cup)
The third match in this list of Afghanistan snatching defeats from the jaws of victory also came recently. Their failure to win these games shouldn't overpower the fact that they are being competitive against teams with more international experience, something they weren't able to do earlier.
Afghanistan managed to score just 129/6 after they were put in to bat first in the Super Four clash at Sharjah. Ibrahim Zadran scored a steady 35 of 37 balls. In response, Pakistan got off to a poor start as Babar Azam got a golden duck and Fakhar Zaman was run out in the first four overs.
Ifthikar Ahmed (30) and Shadab Khan (36) gave some impetus to the run chase. However, the lower middle order fell like a pack of cards. Pakistan were reeling at 110/8, requiring 20 runs off just eight deliveries. Naseem Shah hit two lusty maximums in the last over as Afghanistan lost yet another close game that they should have won, this time by just one wicket.