Afghanistan

The plight of Afghan refugees facing deportation has garnered considerable attention, and it's a cause that holds great significance for the Afghan cricket team.

Afghanistan, who had already defeated defending champion England and neighbours Pakistan earlier in the tournament, chased a target of 242 to cause another upset and moved up to fifth position in the points table with six points from three wins in six matches. Afghanistan came up with another clinical performance and thus moved close to a spot in the semifinals.

Babar Azam didn't mince his words when addressing his team's fielding woes, particularly their sloppiness at the boundary and a couple of costly overthrows. He squarely attributed these issues to his players' lack of attitude, emphasizing that fielding is all about attitude. He urged his team to put in extra effort and maintain their fitness, emphasizing the importance of focusing solely on the ball, being proactive, and operating as a cohesive fielding unit. 

Zadran, exultant after his exceptional contribution, chose to dedicate the Player of the Match honor to his compatriots who had been repatriated from Pakistan. During the post-match presentation, he expressed his sentiments, stating, "I am feeling very glad for myself and for my country. I want to dedicate this man of the match award to those who are sent back to Afghanistan from Pakistan,"

Coming into Sunday’s match, Afghanistan had won just once – back in 2015 - in their ODI World Cup participation history. But at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, that turned into two as Afghanistan brought the tournament to life with a 69-run win over England.

Sri Lanka eventually finished on the top of the table with four points from two wins while Bangladesh also went through with two points. Afghanistan lost both their matches and finished at the bottom of Group B. But they came very, very close to making it to next stage and lost out only by the skin of their teeth.

This was Pakistan's consolation win in the T20I series as Afghanistan had already clinched the series by winning the first two matches by six and seven wickets, respectively. Shadab Khan was awarded the player of the Match for his impressive all-round performance in the third game, scoring a crucial 28 off 17 and picking up three wickets.

The young Jammu and Kashmir seamer has produced some noteworthy performances in the IPL and as well as in Indian jersey, and impressed many with his pace in the limited opportunities he got. "When Umran Malik was a net bowler I told him, 'You will play in the IPL next year'. But he was selected in a week after Natraajan got injured. His party is still due," Nabi told News 24 Sports.

"Captaincy is a huge responsibility. I have the experience of leading my country before, there is a great bunch of guys with whom I have a good understanding and feel pretty comfortable. We will try to stick together, will work hard to put things on the right track and bring pride and joy to our country and nation," said Rashid in an official statement by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB).

The ace leg spinner is one of the most dangerous bowlers in the game of cricket and is considered to be a very potent weapon for any team. A talisman for the Afghanistan side, Rashid is a well versed with franchise cricket, having played across the globe and produced some scintillating performances. Among the highlights of his illustrious career is a spell against Ireland when he bagged 5 wickets for just 3 runs for Afghanistan.