Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, fulfilled his long-standing promise to Afghanistan’s opener, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, by gifting him a bat after their match in Chennai.
In a surprising turn of events, Pakistan suffered their first-ever ODI loss to Afghanistan during the Monday night clash in Chennai. Pakistan managed to put up a competitive total of 283/7, thanks to solid performances by Abdullah Shafique, Captain Babar Azam, and late-hitting contributions from Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed. However, their subpar bowling display and lackluster fielding led to their downfall.
This eight-wicket victory marked Afghanistan’s second win in the ongoing World Cup 2023, while Pakistan endured their third consecutive defeat.
Beyond the game’s intensity and result, a heartwarming gesture stole the spotlight as Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, fulfilled a long-standing promise by gifting a bat to Afghanistan’s opener, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, in a touching moment after the match.
“Maine isse bohot phele wada kiya tha (I promised him long back of gifting a bat),” Babar could be heard saying in a video that has been going rounds on social media.
A gift from Pakistani Captain Babar Azam to Rahmanullah Gurbaz after the historic win for Afghanistan.
— Cricket In Blood (@CricketInBlood_) October 23, 2023
The spirit of cricket alive and well 🤝
Video Credit 📸 @ICC#PAKvAFG #PAKvsAFG #AFGvPAK #AFGvsPAK #BabarAzam𓃵 #Gurbaz pic.twitter.com/lBfNu3HLFQ
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) also expressed gratitude on microblogging site X, sharing a photo of the two cricketing stars and acknowledging Babar Azam’s generous gift by thanking him in the caption.
Afghanistan’s exceptional performance, both with the bat and the ball, led to a remarkable eight-wicket victory against Pakistan on October 23. While chasing a target of 283 runs, Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran (87), Rahmat Shah (77 not out), and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (65) guided them to a total of 286-2 in 49 overs.
Thank you @babarazam258 for your gift! 🤝#AfghanAtalan | #CWC23 | #AFGvPAK | #WarzaMaidanGata pic.twitter.com/lMb3KdIVfd
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) October 23, 2023
Last Updated on October 24, 2023
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