At one point in the final moments of Afghanistan’s sensational victory over Australia at Arnos Vale, Gulbadin Naib was beset with cramps and sunk to the floor while his teammates continued to serenade him. The 33-year-old had expended every ounce of his energy with ball in hand, and in celebration, and his just claimed fourth wicket – that of Pat Cumins – had all but sealed his team’s historic win.
His job done, the veteran all-rounder could have put his feet up in the dressing room and savour the moment from the comforts of the dressing room. But he remained on the field, to take a sharp catch at extra cover to dismiss Ashton Agar. The significance of his performance and that of the win was not lost on Naib or his teammates, who hoisted him on their shoulders at the end of the game.
After coming close twice in the last two World Cups, Afghanistan had finally got one over Australia. “We were waiting [for this] for a long time,” he said after the win. “It’s a great moment, not just for me but for my nation and my people. [It’s a] big achievement for our cricket. I have no words to say but thanks to the fans for supporting our career and cricket journey. It’s a great teamwork, we worked hard for the last two months and the result is in front of you.”
Naib was one of eight bowlers used by captain Rashid Khan to defend a score of 148 on a tacky surface in St Vincent and was brought on to bowl only in the 11th hour amid a blossoming partnership between Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis with Australia needing 79 from the final 10 overs. By this time, Rashid himself had bowled two wicketless overs and needed the experienced Naib to either put a lid on the scoring or take quick wickets.
Naib bounced the in-form Stoinis out and in his second over trapped Tim David LBW. His most telling contribution came in the third over when he had Glenn Maxwell caught at backward point for a 41-ball 59. Maxwell was the protagonist in a stunning come-from-behind win for Australia at last year’s ODI World Cup and threatened to be Afghanistan’s scourge one more time.
“I took two wickets early on, and carried that on later,” Naib reflected. “Thanks to Rashid for trusting me [with the ball]. This was a complete team effort. The way Naveen [ul-Haq] bowled, the way [Rahmanullah] Gurbaz and Ibrahim [Zadran] batted… this was a complete team effort.
“Thank god we at last beat Australia. It’s a great achievement for our cricket in Afghanistan. If you look at the history of our cricket, it is not much. Last ten years, we achieved a lot of goals. This is a big achievement. We played very good cricket and in the first round we beat New Zealand. Then [beating] Australia is not easy. They are a world champion team and it is a big achievement for our cricket. We can carry this to the next level. Our journey starts now.”
While Naib’s efforts in the target defence was the story of Afghanistan’s famous win, captain Rashid also lauded the efforts of his opening batters Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who produced their third century stand of the World Cup. Although Afghanistan failed to close out their innings well with the bat – losing 6 for 39 in the final five overs, the openers’ efforts allowed them to post a competitive 148, thereby giving their stronger bowling suit enough to play with.
“The thought was although we didn’t finish as well as we would have liked to, but this is how this wicket is,” Rashid said. “The more important thing was that the opening partnership gave us the best start. That let us get to a total we had in mind. We all watched two games before, and on this wicket anything 130-plus we said we were capable of defending. We keep calm and have that belief.”
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s win opens up the qualification race in Group 1 and keeps them in the race for a semifinal berth. While a route through Net Run Rate may seem farfetched, they can go through if they beat Bangladesh and India defeat Australia in the final round of Super 8 fixtures. All of that will come in a few hours’ time. There was still some time for reflection and soaking in the significance of this landmark win.
“It’s a massive win for us as a team and as a nation,” he said. “It’s [beating Australia] something we missed in the last two years – in the 2023 World Cup and also in 2022 in Australia where we lacked some runs.
“It is so much important for us home and for everyone and all over the world where Afghans are there. They were badly missing this win. I am sure they would be proud of this and would have enjoyed the game. It is just the beginning for us, big game next and we have all the chances of making the semis.”
