• Afghanistan’s historic third consecutive win in ICC World Cup 2023.
• Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi key in seven-wicket victory.
• Spinners, led by Mohammad Nabi, pivotal in Afghanistan’s success.

Afghanistan continued their impressive form, defeating the Netherlands by seven wickets in the 34th match of the ICC World Cup 2023 on Friday.

Hashmatullah Shahidi’s Afghan team achieved a historic milestone by recording three consecutive victories in the tournament, a first in their World Cup history. Prior to this year’s mega event, Afghanistan had only secured one win in two previous World Cups, in 2015 and 2019.

After losing their openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, in the early overs, Rahmat Shah and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi led their team to a crucial win, keeping Afghanistan’s hopes alive in the race for the semi-finals.

Rahmat Shah, who has been a standout performer in the tournament, accumulated 264 runs with an impressive average of 44. He once again played a pivotal role after his team lost two early wickets, scoring 52 runs and forming a crucial 74-run partnership with Shahidi.

Hashmatullah Shahidi remained unbeaten with 56* while Azmatullah Omarzai contributed 31*, guiding Afghanistan to chase down the 180-run target in just 31.3 overs, which significantly improved their net run rate (NRR).

Batting first, the Netherlands struggled to score, managing only 179 runs in 46.3 overs. Afghanistan’s spinners, Mohammad Nabi and Noor Ahmed, along with the Dutch team’s poor running between the wickets, proved to be a significant challenge.

Despite a rocky start, losing opener Wesley Barresi in the first over, the Netherlands showed resilience and started to play better cricket. However, their own mistakes proved costly. The top Dutch performers, Max O’Dowd, Collin Ackerman, and Sybrand Engelbrecht, were all run out after scoring 42, 29, and 58 runs, respectively.

The Netherlands could have posted a more competitive total, but their captain, Scott Edwards, was also run out on the very first ball he faced, leaving the team at 92-4 in 18.4 overs.

In the bowling department, Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi was the standout performer, taking three wickets, while the young Noor Ahmed claimed two wickets.

Looking ahead, Afghanistan will face the in-form Australia in another crucial match on November 7 in Mumbai, while the Netherlands will take on struggling England on November 8 in Pune. The thrilling action of the ICC World Cup 2023 continues to captivate cricket enthusiasts around the world.

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