‘Everyone Was Against Babar Bhai’ – Rahmanullah Gurbaz Recalls Afghanistan’s Win Over Pakistan in World Cup 2023
It was the first time when Afghanistan had beaten Pakistan in ODIs.
The Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, recently revealed that Babar Azam, the former captain of Pakistan, was on the verge of tears following their loss to Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup held in Chennai.
Despite putting up a total of 282, Pakistan couldn’t hold off the Afghans, who successfully chased the target with eight wickets and one over in hand. Babar Azam was Pakistan’s top-scorer with 74, but Gurbaz’s quickfire 53-ball 65 paved the way for Afghanistan’s win.
Reflecting on the post-game exchange, Gurbaz praised Babar Azam and was quoted by India Today, saying:
“Trust me, I was trying not to say this in front of the camera, but I want to say that he was about to cry. He was so dejected, and I have never seen any player like that. Everyone was against him. But I salute Babar bhai, he was so strong and he kept going. He never gave up.”
Rahmanullah Gurbaz also revealed how he asked Babar Azam for his bat after the match and how emotional the Pakistan batter was during that moment.
“That moment I will never forget about Babar. We beat Pakistan, and then I asked for his bat. Once he brought the bat, he was so disappointed and I can feel as a player.”
“I can feel that you know, when you lost the game and then this, especially in this kind of situation. He was under so much pressure. I remember that I also felt emotional, he is one of the best players, one of the best captains.”
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Babar Azam stepped down from all-format captaincy after Pakistan failed to qualify for the knockouts in the World Cup 2023. While Shan Masood has been appointed as the captain of Pakistan’s Test team, Shaheen Afridi has been given the charge of Pakistan’s T20I team.
