Kabul: Thousands of fans rushed to the streets to celebrate Afghanistan's historic first-ever qualifying for the T20 World Cup semi-finals, which the Rashid Khan-led side secured after a thrilling win against Bangladesh on Monday (local time).
The Rashid Khan-led side defeated Najmul Shanto's Bangladesh by 8 runs using the DLS system, eliminating one of the favourites, Australia, from the race for the semi-final. After impressive triumphs over T20I cricket giants such as New Zealand and Australia during the same T20 World Cup run, Rashid's Afghanistan made it to the last four.
The magnitude of this victory has also been appreciated by Afghanistan fans, who have gone viral on social media after gathering in large numbers on the country's streets for celebration parades.
As soon as Naveen-ul-Haq took Bangladesh's final wicket, Afghanistan players on the pitch and in the dugout burst into tears. Similar scenes played out in the stands, depicting the post-match festivities.
Similar scenes were witnessed in Afghanistan, as fans gathered on the streets to commemorate their team's historic victory.
Coming to the match that Afghanistan will always remember, Rashid Khan and Naveen-ul-Haq led the Afghan bowling attack and helped their side defend the given target of 115. The second inning of the match was reduced to 19 overs, and the target was 114 runs after Rain played a spoilsport in the second inning.
After the defeat, Mitchell Marsh-led Australia are also out of the tournament. The Aussies ended up in third place in the Group 1 table of the Super Eights with just two points.
Afghanistan booked their place in the final four when they overcame Bangladesh's fight in the final game of the Super Eights in St Vincent. After scoring 115/5 in the first innings, Afghanistan bowled out Bangladesh for 105 in a rain-affected game, securing an 8-run win (DLS method).
—ANI