Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman clarified that the sobbing boy he hugged after their win over England was not Afghan but, in fact, a young Indian fan.
In the match at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on October 15, Afghanistan made history by defeating the defending champions, England, by a significant 69-run margin. Given Afghanistan’s track record of just one win in their last two ICC ODI World Cup campaigns, they were considered weak against the formidable English team.
Afghanistan batted first, posting a competitive total of 284 runs on the board. They then executed their signature spin-based strategy during England’s innings, which led to England being bowled out for just 215. The stadium, predominantly filled with Afghan supporters, erupted in joy as they witnessed this victory.
Among those celebrating the win was a young ball-boy who was visibly moved, with tears of joy and sharing an emotional hug with Afghanistan’s star spinner, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, after the match.
Clips of the young boy went viral on social media with people expressing that it symbolized the significance of the win for Afghans. However, Mujeeb later clarified in a social media post on October 17 that the tearful child he had hugged was, in fact, an Indian boy who was passionately supporting the Afghan team. He expressed his delight at meeting the young Indian fan and highlighted how cricket transcends being just a game to become an emotion.
It’s not afghani boy it’s one young Indian boy so happy for ur win It was absolute pleasure meeting this little guy from India Delhi last night (Cricket is not just a game it's an emotion)💙Big thank you to all our amazing fans for coming down and supporting us last night the… pic.twitter.com/bUYh7BDowx
— Muj R 88 (@Mujeeb_R88) October 17, 2023
Mujeeb, named Player of the Match for his impressive 3-51 with the ball and quickfire 28 (16) with the bat, also expressed his appreciation to the Delhi crowd for their backing. Afghanistan is now set to take on New Zealand in Chennai on October 18.
Last Updated on October 17, 2023
Senior Sports Copywriter
