“Lost my mother 3 months ago” - Hashmatullah Shahidi says Afghanistan reaching semis will be a big achievement for country and family 

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi has stated reaching the semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup will be a big achievement not only for the team but also for the war-torn nation. Opening up on the pain of losing his mother three months ago, he added that a top-four spot will be memorable on a personal level as well.

Afghanistan continued their dream run in the 2023 World Cup, beating the Netherlands by seven wickets in Lucknow on Friday. Bowling first, Afghanistan bowled out the Dutch for 179 and then chased down the target in 31.3 overs.

With their third consecutive win, and fourth in their last five matches, Afghanistan are now fifth in the points table. Speaking after the memorable win, Shahidi opened up on hopes of the team reaching the semi-finals and commented:

"Of course, 100 per cent (on dreaming about entering semi-final). We are trying our best to make it to the semi-final and if it happens, it will be a big achievement for the country. I lost my mother three months ago and my family is in a lot of pain. It will be a big achievement (to reach the semis), first of all for the country, but also for my family.”

Before getting the better of the Netherlands, the Afghans had defeated defending champions England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Shahidi himself has contributed significantly with the bat, registering scores of 48*, 58*, and 56* in the last three matches.

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“He is a special player” - Hashmatullah Shahidi on Mohammad Nabi

Former captain Mohammad Nabi was the Player of the Match against the Netherlands for registering figures of 3/28. Praising the veteran cricketer, Shahidi said:

"He (Nabi) is a special player. He always shows his talent. Whenever team needs him, he takes responsibility, like he did today. We are all very united at this World Cup. We are enjoying our wins, and all of them are thinking about winning.”

On the secret behind chasing down targets in a clinical fashion, the Afghanistan skipper explained that they are playing with a specific game plan in mind.

"We bowled well but the run-chase is good, the third consecutive time that we have chased down a target successfully. We are looking at the board and at the target of the opposition team. We are playing accordingly, and we are achieving for our team,” Shahid concluded.

Afghanistan’s remaining two games in the 2023 World Cup league stage will be against Australia and South Africa respectively.