Afghan Cities Erupt in Joy as National Cricket Team Reaches World Cup Semi-Finals

Rare celebrations broke out in multiple Afghan cities on Tuesday after the national cricket team reached the World Cup semi-finals for the first time, securing a thrilling T20 victory over Bangladesh.

Thousands of jubilant fans gathered in Kabul, Khost, Jalalabad, and other cities to celebrate the fairytale win, which also saw the formidable Australians eliminated from the competition.

Supporters chanted praises for their “heroes,” set off fireworks, and danced in the streets. Some were moved to tears of joy. “I am lost for words,” Hassan Khan Niazai told AFP in Kabul. “It is a special and historic moment for all Afghans. We are close to winning this World Cup now and being among the champions.”

Cricket fever runs deep in Afghanistan, and the team’s World Cup achievements have brought rare moments of widespread celebration in a country that has faced decades of war and ongoing economic, humanitarian, and political crises.

However, many celebrations were short-lived. Taliban authorities, who have regularly cracked down on unannounced public gatherings since retaking power in 2021, sent security personnel to disperse the crowds. In eastern Khost, firemen and security forces used water cannons to clear the roads of jubilant fans.

At home in Khost, Madina Sadiq and her children were up around dawn to watch the match, held over 11,000 kilometers (7,000 miles) away in Arnos Vale on the Caribbean island of St Vincent. “It feels like another Eid after Eid al-Adha,” Sadiq told AFP, referencing the major Muslim holiday earlier in June. “It’s a special and rare moment in my life,” she said, adding that her children hugged her at each high point of the nerve-wracking match that saw Afghanistan defeat Bangladesh by eight runs.

“The moment we won I couldn’t control myself and cried out of happiness. I don’t remember our family being so happy as we were today and the day when we beat Pakistan,” she added, referring to their victory over Pakistan in last year’s 50-over World Cup.

With Afghanistan’s big rivals Pakistan already out of the T20 World Cup, Afghanistan will next face South Africa in the semi-finals.