Pakistan's knockout dreams in the ICC World Cup are hanging by a thread after their comprehensive eight-wicket loss to Afghanistan on Monday.
Batting first in Chennai, Pakistan posted 282 on the board. Abdullah Shafique (58) and Babar Azam (74) scored half-centuries to guide Pakistan to a decent total.
In response, Afghanistan chased the target in under 49 overs, causing yet another upset in the tournament. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (65), Ibrahim Zadran (87), and Rahmat Shah (77) all scored fifty-plus scores to help Afghanistan get the historic win.
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Former Pakistan opener, Mohammad Hafeez, believes that the result is not an upset and it has been due for a long time given the steady improvement of the Afghanistan team over the last few years.
What did Mohammad Hafeez say about Pakistan's loss?
Hafeez hailed Rahmat Shah's innings of 77 off 84 balls as the batter kept the scoreboard ticking in the middle overs with his prudent running between the wickets. He built on the foundation laid by Rahmanullah Gurbaz's incredible innings of 65 from just 53 balls and ensured that he stayed till the end to guide Afghanistan home.
"It was really exciting to see how Afghanistan handled the pressure when the scales were even. They could have won or they could have lost as well. And then the pressure of winning creeps into you," he told.
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"However, he (Rahmat Shah) remained calm, built on the momentum, and stayed till the end. It was special from him. He took calculated risks after knowing the field and backed his abilities to do well. Their top order fired well, their openers and Rahmat, and in ODI cricket your top order plays an important role in winning.
"You generally expect this from a big team but today they played like a major team. One should not think it was an upset. It was the most-awaited victory for them. Previously, they were chasing the win and we were lucky to have won on a couple of occasions. This is no fluke and you cannot call this victory an upset," he added.
Pakistan are currently the No 2 ODI team in ICC rankings, while Afghanistan is ranked nine. In a precursor to their World Cup clash, Afghanistan had stunned Pakistan in the semi-final of the Asian Games as well when both teams sent their second-string sides.
"Pakistan should reflect and admit we are making mistakes. It is not that I am taking away any credit from Afghanistan. They played incredible cricket today. They played with passion and we could see that in their body language."
If your captaincy is not out of the box, you deserve to be trolled: Shoaib Akhtar
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar also blasted Babar Azam, implying that he deserves the flak he's getting after the Afghanistan loss.
Akhtar hinted that Babar's captaincy was not up to the mark.
"You deserve to be trolled if people think you're not inspiring fans and your team. If your captaincy is not out of the box and you can't do basic things properly, you deserve to be trolled," Akhtar said during a TV show.
"Do you think these players are able to inspire the next generation? Who are they going to inspire?" Akhtar added.
Will Pakistan reach World Cup semifinals?
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