Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting lauded the Afghanistan team after their impressive run in the T20 World Cup 2024.
Afghanistan qualified for the semi-finals of the tournament but lost to South Africa in the last four clash.
Ponting also predicted that this is the start of something big for Afghanistan cricket.
"It's hard for an outsider to try and explain just how big it is for them," Ponting was quoted as saying by ICC.
"They stood up under the biggest pressure, the biggest moments, the biggest teams at this World Cup, and thoroughly deserved their place in the semi-final.
"It's an epic journey. I'm sure it's just the beginning of bigger things to come for Afghanistan."
The Aussie batting great also heaped praise on skipper Rashid Khan as well as bowlers Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi, while also naming Rahmanullah Gurbaz as a stand-out star.
"The thing is they've been really smart - they've identified conditions early," added Ponting.
"They've held the keys, their opening batters and their opening bowlers right throughout this tournament. If they can find another couple of middle-order batters over the next few years, they'll have a very good side.
"Ten years ago, that was Afghanistan. 15 years ago, that was Bangladesh. 25 years ago, that was Sri Lanka.
"And look at where they are now. You really have to start somewhere. You hope that when they go back home, they've learnt a lot from their experiences here.”