Afghanistan finished second in their Super 8 group after getting massive wins against Bangladesh and Australia and finished only behind India in the group. They are now all set to face South Africa on Thursday in a bid to reach their first ever T20 World Cup final. Afghanistan have turned out to be the underdogs in the tournament after they beat New Zealand in their group stage match. There on after, they defeated Australia in their Super 8 clash by 21 runs. In order to qualify for the semi-finals, Afghanistan needed 4 points or a higher run rate than that of Australia. They ended up defeating Bangladesh in their final Super 8 clash which took them to four points and second in the group hence India and Afghanistan qualified for the semi-finals.
Taliban Thank New Delhi
Taliban's Head of the Political Office, Suhail Shaheen told WION, "We are thankful for India’s continuous help in capacity building of the Afghan Cricket Team. We really appreciate that." For the past several years India has been a driving factor in the growth of Afghanistan Cricket. India for the past few years has provided Afghani players with training grounds in various Indian stadiums and sponsorships from various companies. New Delhi also granted $1 Million in the construction of the Kandahar Cricket Stadium in Afghanistan.
Home Grounds In India And IPL
The BCCI also alloted Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida and another ground in Dehradun as temporary home grounds for the Afghanistan Cricket Team. India were also the hosts for Afghanistan's first ever test match. Several Afghanistan players such as Naveen-Ul-Haq, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi are also known faces in the IPL. The Indian Premier League has also been a key factor in the growth of Afghan players and Afghanistan Cricket. Several Afghani cricket players such as Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan have become household names in both countries and whenever Afghanistan wins, the victory is celebrated by fans from both India and Afghanistan. It is a huge moment for Afghanistan to reach the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup as the players of the country have had to face several obstacles to reach this stage of world cricket.
