The Cricket World Cup 2023 in India has finally come alive for me. The way the Afghan boys churned out a massive upset by outclassing the defending champions, England, with excellent skills and fabulous execution has got my heart racing.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz started things with a brilliant innings, executing an exhilarating and powerful power-play to amass 79 runs — something that Pakistani fans can only dream their side would deliver.
Together with Ibrahim Zadran, the dashing duo set the tone for the northern tribals. The Afghanistan team knows that if they post a decent total, they have a good chance against any side in the world because they have in their arsenal the brilliant trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeebur Rehman, and Mohammad Nabi, who have the skill set to weave magic with the ball.
On these tracks in India, they proved to be a handful once their batters gave them 275 runs to defend.
The Afghan innings saw their middle order suffer a mini-collapse. Still, to their immense credit, players such as Ikram Alikhil, Rashid, and Mujeeb resurrected it with intent, aggression, and self-belief. That was a turning point for me.
It was a brilliant rearguard effort — exactly the kind of surge forward we expected from Shadab, Nawaz, Hasan Ali, and Shaheen. Unfortunately, the Pakistanis were found wanting and capitulated against their traditional foes.
The bravery displayed by the Afghan lower-order, all-rounders and tailenders deserves the highest of praise. The runs scored by the last five batters were the difference between them being backbenchers and becoming history-makers.
Pakistan will have to wake up from its Rip Van Winkle slumber and see that modern cricket has changed completely from when they last lifted the cup
On the other hand, Pakistan chose to be a destitute side, and the Afghan team chose glory by fighting till the end.
When Afghanistan bowled, they did it with purpose and executed like champions under difficult circumstances, especially when dealing with the dew.
Captain Hashmatulah Shahidi led with aplomb and gave his charges the freedom to express themselves. The way he used Mujeeb with the new ball deserves high praise—it was a wise decision to utilise him before dew fell; in fact, it was a masterstroke.
Cricket is an art, much like painting. The colours we use and the hues we create are extremely important for the end result. Like an artist, the captain embellishes his canvas with different hues at the right time and at the exact space on the canvas - his decisions often the difference between the painting turning out ordinary or an offering of perhaps a Dutch master.
On Sunday, Hashmatullah was Van Gogh-esque, and his Afghanistan side on Sunday created a masterpiece fit to be exhibited in any famous art gallery in the world.
On the other hand, the way Pakistan played against India, the captaincy, the questionable team selection, and the stale and passive thinking were like a cheap reprint sold on the sidewalks of New York.
Pakistan will have to wake up from its Rip Van Winkle slumber and see that modern cricket has changed completely from when they last lifted the cup.
It seems like the top three may be composed of India, New Zealand, and South Africa. The fourth berth, however, is up for grabs
But for cricket at large in the tournament, things have suddenly become interesting as we have just witnessed the first real upset, courtesy of the brave Afghans.
Somehow, the picture is slightly clearer in my mind. Even though there is still a long way to go in this tournament, it seems like the top three may be composed of India, New Zealand, and South Africa. The fourth berth, however, is up for grabs.
In my opinion, only those with the ability to perform well when the chips are down and those who have the hunger and a clear ambition for the cup should be able to claim that fourth spot. The fourth could be Pakistan, but, as always, they pressed the self-destruct button by messing up their run rate and throwing it into an abyss. If Babar and company want to be that fourth team, they have a lot of soul-searching to do, and they will have to make some tough calls. First, they will have to drop Shadab and play Usama Mir. Second, that outdated approach, which reeks of stale food, needs to be replaced with freshness and intent; otherwise, they should start thinking about the flight home.
Australia are also in trouble. They need to get their combination right and play with the typical Australian gusto. Sri Lanka has shown character and possess the capability to tame and get atop the winning horse. They have a tough road ahead of them, beset with boulder-sized issues with the run rate.
The defending champs, England, are also in a bit of a predicament. Jos Butler has to be efficient and set the table right, ensuring each knife and fork is in the right place.
Pakistan, England and Australia will have to show buckets of character if they want to even get to the semis.
But as Shahidi and his side showed, on these pitches, even the Afghans have a chance. And there is now no doubt that you can count the Afghans as the dark horses in this tournament. I feel that if they can beat Pakistan in Chennai on a track that is a rank-turner and favours the classy Afghan spinners, they will become serious contenders for the fourth place that Pakistan currently holds.
The competition will heat up in the coming week. Aggressive teams, with captains who can bring the necessary intensity and ruthlessness in their selection and gameplay, will likely enjoy success. The others will "definitely" be heading home.
At this moment, I would like to offer a word of advice for the sports' global body, the International Cricket Council (ICC): this is an international event, and it is their responsibility to ensure that all teams feel at home and that religious and political issues are kept at bay from the grounds.
For the rest of the tournament, let's see if any of the other teams can borrow the Afghan flame and set this competition alight.