Image Credit- AP
Chepauk roars together with Hashmatullah Shahidi when
he swats Shaheen Shah Afridi to the square-leg boundary for Afghanistan. In
Kabul, fireworks are set off at the same time as fans fill the streets to
celebrate Afghanistan’s historic victory against Pakistan in an ODI.
Cut to Chennai, where Rashid Khan is rushing to hug
his captain while carrying an Afghan flag around his neck. Mohammad Nabi also
rushes onto the pitch while displaying little control over his emotions. Riaz
Hassan is lifting Gulbadin Naib, who led Afghanistan in the most recent World
Cup. When he bursts into a jig with Irfan Pathan, shouts of “Rashid!
Rashid! Rashid” reverberate across Chepauk.
During the post-game festivities in the locker room,
Rashid dons his dance shoes once more, but this historic victory was crafted by
two less well-known individuals: Noor Ahmad and Ibrahim Zadran.
Noor, who is already a T20 global traveller at the age
of 18, had only played in three ODIs and 11 List A games before to Monday.
Noor, who wasn’t selected for Wednesday’s game against New Zealand, appeared
understandably lost when he was summoned for a post-game media interview. He
made the XI five days later and rendered the Pakistani batters inept.
Noor is essentially Rashid with a left arm. The
mystique stems from the many grips he employs and his ability to pick up speed
off the pitch. It’s more difficult for batters to pick him because of his
whippy motion. Abdullah Shafique missed the sweep by 58 and fell lbw after
failing to pick his slider.
Since the conclusion of the previous World Cup,
Mohammad Rizwan has become one of the top sweepers in the world. He therefore
attempted to distract Noor with the shot, but Noor swerved beyond the crease
and managed to keep the ball out of Rizwan’s reach. Only the top edge of a
short fine leg could be spliced by the batter.
On an average, Noor drew one false shot every four
balls against Pakistan. Afghanistan’s team management also deserves credit for
picking him over left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi on a black-soil Chennai
surface.
Ibrahim is Noor’s elder by three years, and his style
of play is better suited to ODIs than T20 cricket. He does not hit the ball
hard like his opening partner Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rashid, or Nabi, nor does he
play the snake shot. He does, however, provide the lineup stickability that
Afghanistan has been lacking for a time.
He batted until the 34th over on Monday, essentially
ending Pakistan’s resistance. Even though his back-foot drives during the
powerplay and sure footwork against Pakistan’s legspinners weren’t among the
game’s highlights, he still succeeded in helping his team.
In 1999, Pakistan toppled India in Chennai and that
lap of honour became a part of history. Twenty-four years on, Afghanistan
toppled Pakistan at the same venue and did a lap of honour that could become as
historic.