Afghanistan hopes of clinching a 2011 Cricket World Cup place just eight years after the national team was formed have been all but dashed.
Afghanistan hopes of clinching a 2011 Cricket World Cup place just eight years after the national team was formed have been all but dashed.
ADVERTISEMENT
The sporting heroes of the war-torn nation lost by six wickets to Canada in Pretoria yesterday and with other leading teams Ireland, Kenya and Netherlands also winning, the Afghans need a miracle to squeeze through.
Afghanistan must hope the Kenyans and Dutch lose their remaining two World Cup Qualifier Super 8 matches tomorrow and on Friday, while they defeat title holders Scotland and Namibia.
Net run rate would then decide which countries fill the four places on offer for the quadrennial world cricket showpiece in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Manager Sayed Aminzai was pleasantly surprised when told by AFP that his team still had a slim chance of reaching the World Cup as he believed they were out of the running.
"That is great news. Thank you. I have just arrived at the team hotel and have not had time to do any calculations. First, let me congratulate Canada, who performed very well today.
"We needed another 30 or 40 runs and, for once, our fielding was not up to scratch with maybe 30 more runs conceded than was necessary. However, we will learn a lot from this match," he vowed.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
