Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz has spoken about the impact of his team’s loss to Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2022, saying the defeat led to extreme reactions among fans back home, including incidents of suicide.
Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz said he still finds it difficult to accept how his team lost that match at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Pakistan needed 11 runs in the final over with one wicket left. Naseem Shah then hit Fazalhaq Farooqi for two sixes off the first two balls to take his side to victory.
Gurbaz said the defeat had a strong impact back home. “For me, the most heartbreaking match was the loss against Pakistan in the 2022 Asia Cup. People back home were very hurt. Many people cried. Here, people committed suicide. We have many emotional people here. We also get hurt as we play for people here,” Gurbaz told Shubhankar Mishra.
He said the memories of that game still affect him. “As I am talking to you about that match, I can still recall the sad memories. Whenever I walk into the Sharjah Stadium, I am reminded of that heartbreaking loss. I still think about how we lost that game, which we should have won. We didn’t bat well, but we bowled nicely. But in the end, we lost,” he added.
In that match, Afghanistan scored 129/6 in 20 overs. Pakistan were 110/8 at one stage before a late effort from Asif Ali and Naseem Shah helped them win.
Gurbaz also spoke about the rivalry between the two teams. He said it carries importance for fans in Afghanistan, even though he does not have personal issues with players from Pakistan.
“We are cricketers. We play for people here in Afghanistan. Our happiness lies in our people’s happiness. If you ask people here about the most memorable game, they would tell you about the 2023 ODI World Cup win against Pakistan,” said Gurbaz.
“As a cricketer, I don’t have any personal grudges against any other cricketer. Our fans here want us to defeat Pakistan at all times,” he added.