Afghanistan are backing themselves to reach the World Cup semifinals and if they do end up there, it will be a big achievement for the warn-torn country, said skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi in Lucknow on Friday. (Scorecard | Points Table | As It Happened)
Shahidi (56 not out) and Rahmat Shah (52) made well-compiled fifties and veteran Mohammad Nabi (3/28) produced a stifling spell as Afghanistan continued their dream run in the showpiece, registering a smooth seven-wicket victory over Netherlands to keep their semifinal hopes alive.
The win, their fourth in seven games, swelled Afghanistan's tally to eight points and also lifted them to the fifth spot ahead of Pakistan.
"Of course, 100 percent (on dreaming about entering the semifinal). We are trying our best to make it to the semifinal and if it happens, it will be a big achievement for the country," Shahidi said after the match.
"I lost my mother three months ago and my family is in a lot of pain. It will be a big achievement (to reach the semifinal), first of all for the country, but also for my family."
The Afghans, who have defeated defending champions England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka so far in the tournament, have two tough matches left against Australia and South Africa.
In the battle between two giant-killers of this showpiece, it was a clinical effort from Afghanistan, which rode on their spinners and brilliant fielding to restrict the Dutch to 179 all out and then chased down the target in 31.3 overs.
The skipper feels chasing brings the best out of his well-knitted outfit.
"I can say both (both batting and bowling pleased). We bowled well but the run-chase is good. Third consecutive time that we have chased down a target successfully," Shahidi said.
"We are looking at the board and at the target of the opposition team. We are playing accordingly, and we are achieving for our team."
He also lauded veteran Nabi for his contributions.
"He (Nabi) is a special player. He always shows his talent. Whenever team needs him, he takes responsibility, like he did today. We are all very united at this World Cup. We are enjoying our wins, and all of them are thinking about winning," Shahidi said.
Shahidi dedicated Friday's win to the struggling countrymen who have been ravaged by a series of earthquakes in Herat province recently.
"Right now, a lot of refugee people are struggling. We are watching their videos and we are sad for them. We are with them in these tough times and I want to dedicate this win to them, who are in pain, and to everyone back home," he said.
Netherlands captain Scott Edwards said his batting unit didn't have the wherewithal to tackle the high-quality Afghan spinners.
"We started well and set ourselves up for a good total but gave it away a little. They have high-quality spinners and we did not have top-order batters to face them."280 would have been a good score even if dew was around."
With the top seven teams in this World Cup qualifying for 2025 Champions Trophy, Netherlands have a bright chance of making the cut.
"Not something we were looking to before this game but something we might have to look at now," Edwards said.
