On Monday, Pakistan took on Afghanistan in the fifth match of their 2023 World Cup campaign at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Batting first, Pakistan posted 282/7, led by captain Babar Azam's 82 and quickfire 40s from Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan. Noor Ahmed took three wickets on his World Cup debut. In reply, Afghan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran laid the platform with a 130-run first wicket stand before Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi sealed an 8-wicket victory in 49 overs.
"I presume ‘Dil Dil’ Pakistan wasn’t played in Chennai today" - Michael Vaughan's cheeky remark
After the match, former England cricketer Michael Vaughan took to X, formerly Twitter, to express his thoughts, including a cheeky dig at Pakistan.
I presume ‘Dil Dil’ Pakistan wasn’t played in Chennai today @clubprairiefire #CWC2023 😜
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) October 23, 2023
Vaughan was referring to Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur's comments following the team's loss to India on 14 October. Arthur said in the post-match press conference that the match felt like a BCCI event, saying, "I didn't hear 'Dil Dil Pakistan' ('My heart is Pakistan') coming through too often tonight. So yes, that does play a role, but I'm not going to use that as an excuse."
Many fans and experts, including Vaughan, brushed Arthur's comments off as a lame excuse for the team's poor performance.
Who will win the 2023 World Cup?
India, Australia and South Africa are among the top five favourites for the 2023 World Cup title. The odds from Dafabet are as follows:
| Team | Odds (Dafabet) |
|---|---|
| India | 2.10 |
| Australia | 5.00 |
| South Africa | 5.00 |
| New Zealand | 6.80 |
| England | 29.00 |
Think you know who will win the 2023 Cricket World Cup? Place your bets here with Dafabet!
