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Afghanistan beat Scotland to win their first ever World Cup match
Star batter Samiullah Shenwari scored 96 to help his team victory
Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani praised them on twitter
Afghanistan achieved an historic victory Thursday as it beat Scotland to win its first ever cricket World Cup match.
Appearing at the tournament for the first time, the war-torn country beat the Scots by one wicket with just three balls to spare – sparking jubilant celebrations back home.
Afghan batter Samiullah Shenwari saved his team from the clutches of defeat, scoring 96 runs to set up a nail-biting finale.
“The pressure was extreme again but Shenwari batted brilliantly” team captain Mohammad Nabi was reported to the have said by the International Cricket Council.
“It’s good to put two points on the board. This is our first win in the World Cup and everyone will enjoy this.”
Fans poured into the street waving flags, beating drums and dancing in celebration of their country’s maiden triumph.
Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani took to Twitter to express his pride at the team’s achievement.
The team will now face 2007 ICC World Cup winner Australia and 2010 ICC World Twenty20 champions England in the final pool stages – and will have to cause a giant upset to get to the quarterfinals.
The win marked Scotland’s 11th consecutive defeat across three World Cups, with captain Preston Mommsen saying: “It’s never easy losing a game, but it’s a particularly difficult one for us. We had them seven down and disappointed we couldn’t finish them off.”
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