For Afghanistan, still searching for peace after decades of war, the victory was especially sweet because it came against Pakistan. Many Afghans accuse their neighbor of supporting the Taliban and fueling instability in their country, a charge that Pakistan denies. As the match concluded, gunfire rang out across Kabul as fans rushed into the streets of the Afghan capital in now a familiar celebration of cricket success. “We, the Afghans, defeated Pakistan in cricket,” tweeted Amrullah Saleh, a former intelligence chief now running on Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s team for elections in September. Warmup games yesterday saw New Zealand playing India and hosts England facing Australia.

Source: Taipei Times May 25, 2019 15:56 UTC