Ibrahim Zadran dedicates Player of the Match award to Afghans “sent back” from Pakistan

India Cricket WCup — Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran

Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran dedicated his Player of the Match award to Afghans who are being deported from Pakistan. Ibrahim made the statement after Afghanistan’s historic triumph in the 2023 World Cup clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday, October 23.

Afghanistan registered their maiden ODI win over Pakistan, thumping Babar Azam and co. by eight wickets in Chennai. Bowling first, Afghanistan restricted Pakistan to 282/7. In the chase, Ibrahim top-scored with 87 off 113, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz (65 off 53), Rahmat Shah (77* off 84) and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (48* off 45) also made significant contributions.

Speaking at the post-match presentation after being named Player of the Match, Ibrahim said that he would like to dedicate his award to “those who are sent back to Afghanistan from Pakistan”. The young batter’s statement immediately went viral on social media.

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Ibrahim’s statement came amid reports of Pakistan having asked all undocumented refugees to leave the country by November 1. According to Khaama Press, the state-run radio of Pakistan reported that 3,248 Afghan refugees were returned to Afghanistan on October 21.

Other reports stated Pakistani authorities as claiming that over 51,000 Afghans have been deported since the deadline for the expulsion of undocumented migrants was announced.

A Pakistan-based news daily has reported that after November 1 no one will be allowed to cross the Pak-Afghan border using a Pakistani identity card or Afghan permit. It is believed that approximately 1.73 million Afghans in Pakistan lack legal documentation.

“Wanted to go out there with a positive mind” - Ibrahim

After Pakistan posted 282/7 on the board after winning the toss and batting first, it seemed like Afghanistan would be in for a tough challenge. On the contrary, they cruised home as Pakistan bowlers failed to make any kind of impact. Speaking after the historic triumph, Ibrahim said:

I wanted to go out there with a positive mind and positive intent, and I did it. We (Gurbaz and himself) have played a lot of cricket with each other; we have good communication while running between the wickets as we have been playing together since under-16 days.