‘Kudrat ka nizam khatre mein hai’ – Fans react as Afghanistan defeat Netherlands by seven wickets to spare

Match number 34 of the ODI World Cup 2023 saw Afghanistan taking on the Netherlands in an essential game for Afghanistan to keep their hopes alive in the semi-final of the tournament.  The match eventually ended in a one-sided affair as the Afghanistan team won the game by seven matches. With this win the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side has now jumped onto the fifth spot and strengthened their chances for a semifinal spot.

After winning the toss, Scott Edwards elected to bat first. Mujeeb Ur Rahman was in fine form and quickly dismissed Dutch opener Wesley Barresi in the very first over. However, Max ODowd and Colin Ackermann adopted a positive approach, forming a sturdy 50-run partnership that steadied the Netherlands’ innings. Just when the Dutch seemed to be making progress, the game took a dramatic turn as they lost 5 wickets for a mere 40 runs, leading to a significant drop in their scoring rate. Three of these dismissals were a result of run-outs, leaving the Netherlands in a precarious situation.

Afghanistan had an opportunity to take control of the game at this point, but Sybrand Engelbrecht was dropped twice in consecutive deliveries. Engelbrecht battled hard, managing to cross the fifty-run mark, but a lapse in judgment led to his fourth run-out of the innings. The lower-order batsmen couldn’t contribute significantly, and the Netherlands were eventually bowled out for a total of 179 runs. Mohammad delivered a brilliant bowling performance, claiming 3 wickets while conceding only 28 runs in 9.3 overs.

Afghanistan chased down the side with 111 deliveries to spare

Chasing the target, Rahmanullah Gurbaz once again faced an early dismissal, returning to the pavilion with just 10 runs in the 6th over. Ibrahim Zadran’s slow-paced innings came to an end in the 11th over when he was dismissed after scoring 20 runs. As usual, it was the duo of Rahmat Shah and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi who advanced the chase.

They both combined for a 74-run partnership for the 3rd wicket, with Rahmat. But once Rahmat was gone the star all-rounder Azmatullah Omerzai stitched a brilliant match-winning partnership. The skipper Shahidi achieved another half-century in the tournament and remained unbeaten at 56 runs. Omarzai also chipped in with a brilliant 31 runs which led the team to a convincing 7-wicket victory with 18.3 overs to spare.

Let us look at how Twitter has reacted to this victory from Afghanistan;

https://twitter.com/PKMKB_93K/status/1720449559518965949

Pakistani team for qualification pic.twitter.com/FNsETNKuTP

— Ash (@Ashsay_) November 3, 2023

https://twitter.com/Motabhai012/status/1720449526497153142

Aukaat shown moment for Pakistan 🤣😂

— *Roe Joot 😎🇮🇳* (Retired ICT Fan) (@ImGani22) November 3, 2023

https://twitter.com/SweetLilQueen/status/1720449895738573095

Super duper victory by Afgans…. Pakistan now at 6th position in Points table…

— Hriday Singh (@hridaysingh16) November 3, 2023

Afghanistan won from the mighty Netherlands

— Farhad khan (@imFarhadkhan) November 3, 2023

https://twitter.com/JunaidBabarian/status/1720449406753996895

Afghanistan cricket team is playing wonderful and superb cricket..

— Shivani (ShivkiVani) (@_Shivkivani) November 3, 2023