Dying to kill
It is reported in the press that in Pakistan, 12 security personnel were killed last month when a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a check post in Pakistan’s north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib was all praise for 18-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Ikram Ali Khil as the latter broke the 27-year-old record of Sachin Tendulkar.
Khil, on Thursday, scored 86 against the West Indies, thus becoming the youngest batsman at the World Cup to reach the milestone surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s 84 in the 1992 edition of the mega event.
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“He played very well, I’m upset that he missed out on a century, which is a big moment for anyone,” Gulbadin was quoted as saying by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
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Notably, Ikram wasn’t included in Afghanistan’s initial 15-man squad but was drafted in the team after an injury to Mohammad Shahzad.
“He’s played a lot of cricket in the last two-three years and he proved himself here. We have a lot of youngsters like him coming forward, which is great for the team and for the country.
“We have a lot of talent back in Afghanistan. I hope the other guys, if they are given the chance, will come forward too. If you play professional cricket in each and every department, you must be 100 per cent fit. If you are not, nothing will go well.
“We learned a lot at this World Cup and know what we need to work on to improve ourselves; we’ll take the positive things and keep trying hard. We’ve achieved so much as a team in a short time and, after the World Cup, it is not the end of our cricket,” the Afghan skipper said.
Talking about the match, the West Indies defeated Afghanistan by 23 runs despite Khil’s effort. With this loss, Afghanistan bid adieu to World Cup 2019 without tasting a single victory in the nine matches they played.
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