"Unlucky not to go through to finals": Imran Khan hails Afghanistan after dream run ends in T20 WC

New Delhi [India], June 27 (ANI): Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan congratulated the Afghanistan team and showered praise on them after their dream run came to an end in the ongoing T20 World Cup at the hands of South Africa.
En route to the semi-finals, Afghanistan left cricket juggernauts New Zealand and Australia speechless in their fairytale run in the marquee event.
Afghanistan's dream run came to an end after South Africa battered them in the semi-final. South Africa's bowling line-up hammered the Rashid Khan-led side and restricted them to 56 in 11.5 overs after electing to bat.
Imran heaped praise for the brilliant performances that they pulled off throughout the campaign as they fought their way to the final four, and wished them the best for the future.
"I would like to congratulate the Afghan National team on their brilliant performance in the ongoing Twenty20 Cricket World Cup. The spirit with which they fought their way to the semi-finals is indeed praiseworthy, which also speaks of their positive attitude and total commitment to the cause of the game. They fought their hearts out and were unlucky not to go through to the finals. I am sure this performance will prove to be a precursor to many laurels they would bring to their country. I wish them all the best for the future," Imran wrote on X.
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I would like to congratulate the Afghan National team on their brilliant performance in the ongoing Twenty20 Cricket World Cup. The spirit with which they fought their way to the semi finals is indeed praiseworthy, which also speaks of their positive attitude and total commitment…

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) June 27, 2024

Afghanistan have had a dream run against the top sides recently. In last year's ODI World Cup in India, and Afghans made Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and England tasted defeat.
During the group stage of the T20 World Cup, the Afghans put their foot on the accelerator, with openers Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz leading the way and guiding their team to competitive totals.
However, in the Super 8, their batting started to falter, and they mostly depended on their bowling to pull out results for them.
In their final Super 8 game against Bangladesh, they failed collectively as a batting unit, but Rashid and Naveen-ul-haq pulled them out of their misery.
They folded on 115 but managed to force Bangladesh to succumb to 105. In their maiden semi-final of an ICC tournament, they relied on their bowling, but the batters failed to deliver against South Africa. (ANI)