Afghanistan cricket team opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz on Wednesday thanked Babar Azam for gifting him a bat after the Pakistan vs Afghanistan match in Chennai on October 23.
Afghanistan recorded an eight-wicket win and beat the Green Shirts for the first time in one-day cricket, and after the match ended, Azam gifted Gurbaz a bat.
Two days after getting Babar’s gift, Gurbaz thanked the Pakistani skipper on his X, formerly Twitter, account calling the 29-year-old a wonderful human being and wishing him all the best.
“Wonderful gift by a wonderful player and human being. Truly gentleman @babarazam258. Chin up, stay strong and keep shining,” Gurbaz wrote on X.
It must be noted that the Pakistan team has been facing criticism from all corners after their poor performance during the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023.
Three back-to-back defeats have made Pakistan’s path to the semi-finals of the World Cup difficult.
After the start they would've wanted in the World Cup by winning two games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka, Pakistan were overpowered by India, Australia and Afghanistan which leaves them with four points from five matches.
The Green Shirts will now play South Africa, Bangladesh, New Zealand and England — all the games are now must-win for them, if they want to qualify for the semis.
Pakistan’s remaining ICC World Cup 2023 matches
October 27 - vs South Africa in Chennai
October 31 - vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
November 4 - vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
November 11 - vs England in Kolkata
Pakistan squad for ICC World Cup 2023
Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, M Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha.
Travelling reserves: Mohammad Haris, Abrar Ahmed, Zaman Khan
- Babar Azam