Former Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan played his last international match against Namibia. It was an electrifying moment for cricket fans as every Afghan fan was chanting “Asghar! Asghar! Asghar!”
Asghar was on 31 when he was dismissed by left-arm pacer Ruben Trumpelmann.
Namibian players did not celebrate his wicket and congratulated him for his successful career.
Later, Asghar was given a guard of honor by his teammates.
Former skipper and national player @MAsgharAfghan played his last match today against Namibia, made important 31 runs and bade farewell to all formats of cricket with heavy heart. He received the guard of honor from his teammates.
📷: @GettyImages pic.twitter.com/jZK5amNQT7— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) October 31, 2021
What a warming guard of honor for @MAsgharAfghan A legend to be remembered for all he did for the Afghan Cricket Team. ډیره مننه ګرانه pic.twitter.com/bcq8MCTJMc
— Shaleeta (@sha_lee_ta) October 31, 2021
The former Afghan skipper was emotional during the post-match presentation and thanked the fans for their love and support.
Asghar gets emotional after his last match today. What a brilliant 17 years journey! Thank you brother @MAsgharAfghan for everything you have done for Afghanistan and Afghan cricket. Salute to you! الله مو مل@ACBofficials @MohammadNabi007 @Afghan_cricketA @jafarhaand pic.twitter.com/zzXEM5R6h9
— Ismail Miakhail 🇦🇫 (@IsmailMiakhail) October 31, 2021
After the match, Naveen-ul-Haq dedicated his award to Asghar and called him the best captain Afghanistan ever had.
Asghar was carried off the field by Naveen-ul-Haq, Gulbadin Naib, and Najibullah Zadran in his last match.
MoTM Naveen-ul-Haq dedicates his award to Asghar Afghan in a touching moment 😢 #T20WorldCup #AFGvNAM pic.twitter.com/OwmKHJTNPf
— ThePoppingCrease (@PoppingCreaseSA) October 31, 2021
Talking about Asghar, the man who took Afghanistan cricket to new heights, is one of the most successful captains in Afghan cricket history. He holds the record of 42 wins in T20I out of 52 matches, ahead of India’s MS Dhoni who won 41 out of 72.
Unlike other Afghan cricketers, Asghar never played any league cricket outside Afghanistan. He plays for Kandahar Knights in the Afghanistan Premier League (APL).
Asghar made his international debut in 2009 against Scotland. He played 114 ODIs, 75 T20Is, and 6 Tests in which he scored 2424, 1382, and 440 runs, respectively. Despite the homeland situation, Afghanistan is currently one of the toughest contenders in the T20 World Cup.
In the post-match presentation, Asghar mentioned that Afghan cricket is in the safe hands of Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan.
World’s most successful T20 captain @MAsgharAfghan said good bye to cricket.
Visibly emotional, Asghar thanked fans and critics for making him a “better cricketer” in his “proud 16 years career”.
Asghar won 42 of 52 T20Is for #Afghanistan.#AFGvsNAM pic.twitter.com/VwV1OrMEEK
— Malali Bashir (@MalaliBashir) October 31, 2021
