Rashid says Afghanistan proved Lara right after qualifying for T20 World Cup 2024 semis
Afghanistan beat Bangladesh on Tuesday to secure spot in final four
Captain Rashid Khan said that Afghanistan proved legendary West Indies batter Brian Lara right after qualifying for the semi-finals of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.
Before the tournament, Lara had predicted the Afghanistan will qualify for the semi-finals of the event.
“It's a dream for us to be in the semi-finals. The way we started the tournament, the belief came when we beat New Zealand. It's unbelievable. The only guy who put us in the semi-finals was Brian Lara and we proved him right. When we met him at a welcome party, I told him we won't let you down,” Rashid said after the match.
Afghanistan beat Bangladesh in a thrilling content by eight runs (DLS method) on Tuesday to qualify for the final four.
The Rashid-led unit have qualified for the semi-finals of a World Cup for the first time in their history.
Chasing a target of 116 runs, which was later reduced to 114 in 19 overs due to rain, Bangladesh were bowled out for 105 in 17.5 overs.
“We thought 130-135 was a good score but we fell 15 runs short. We knew they would come hard at us and we knew that is what we could take advantage of. We didn't need to do anything extra, just be clear in our plans. We wanted to make people back home happy, that was the discussion we had and everyone did a wonderful job,” the Afghan captain said.
“In T20s if you get a good start, it helps us in the middle overs. They have given great starts to us in the whole competition. It makes it easier for us to go harder at the batsmen. They have delivered, they were very clear in their minds.
“It's a massive celebration back home. It's a big achievement for us as well. We have done that at U-19 level but at this World Cup, I don't have any words to describe the feeling back home. We have to go into the semis with a very clear mind and make sure we enjoy the occasion."
South Africa will face Afghanistan, while England will lock horns with India in the semi-finals. Both matches will be played on June 27.
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