Afghanistan powered past Netherlands with a seven-wicket victory, significantly enhancing their chances of securing a spot in the semi-finals in the 34th match of the World Cup at Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Friday.
Their successful chase of a 180-run target was completed with a remarkable 111 balls to spare, marking their fourth win in the tournament, following triumphs against defending champions England, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.
This victory had brought Afghanistan's points tally to eight, putting them on par with Australia and New Zealand, who currently hold the top two spots in the race for semi-final qualification. India remain undefeated and have already secured a place in the last four, while South Africa appear poised to join them.
Afghanistan's next challenge, set for Tuesday, is a potential showdown with five-time champion Australia. This meeting carries an element of grudge, as Australia controversially cancelled a series against Afghanistan in January, citing their objection to the Taliban's treatment of women.
In this remarkable win, Rahmat Shah extended his impressive form by scoring his third consecutive half-century for Afghanistan. Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi also played a crucial role by contributing an unbeaten 56, marking his third fifty in as many matches.
Earlier, Afghanistan's bowlers effectively restricted the Netherlands to a total of 179 all out. The Dutch team, still holding onto a faint hope of reaching the semi-finals, won the toss and chose to bat. However, their innings were marred by four runouts, beginning with the dismissal of opener Wesley Barresi in the first over.
Despite a partnership of 70 runs for the second wicket between Max O'Dowd and Colin Ackermann, a series of misfortunes, including run-outs, hindered their progress. The Netherlands' struggle continued as wickets fell regularly, eventually leading to their bowled-out total after 46.3 overs.
Mohammad Nabi, with figures of 3-28, emerged as the standout bowler for Afghanistan. Reflecting on their success, Nabi noted, "When the pressure is on the batsman, you know they will make mistakes and bad calls. So that helped us get the four run-outs."
Afghanistan's convincing victory places them in a strong position to vie for a place in the World Cup semi-finals, with their upcoming match against Australia holding considerable significance.
