KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) —Afghanistan’s feat is a mild surprise. It was building to it. It reached the second round at the last three T20 World Cups. This time, it knocked out New Zealand in the group stage, and beat former champion Australia for the first time last weekend.
Three of the top five wicket-takers in the tournament are from Afghanistan. Fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi has a leading 16. Khan, who grabbed a match-winning four-wicket haul against Bangladesh, has 14. Fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq has 13.
The opening pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran have stitched together three century partnerships and are among the top three leading run-scorers in the tournament with 281 and 229 respectively.
Rashid, who was carried on the shoulders of his teammates during a victory lap in St. Lucia, believed their performances will inspire Afghan youth.
Those youth, however, will not include girls. As phenomenal as the men’s success is, it puts in stark contrast the fate of the women’s national team, which was dropped as soon as the Taliban seized power in 2021 after the United States and NATO forces withdrew after two decades of war.
The Taliban have used their interpretation of Islamic law to ban girls from education after age 11, ban women from public spaces, and exclude them from many jobs.
The International Cricket Council has helped to develop the Afghan men but not penalised them for not offering any women’s cricket.
The ICC’s stance has come into sharper focus as Afghanistan has grown more successful.
“I think the semifinal is going to be a massive, massive inspiration for the youngsters back home in Afghanistan,” Rashid said. “We have done it at under-19 level (two World Cup semifinals), but this level we haven’t done that. Even Super Eight was first time for us and then in semis. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”