Afghanistan erupts in celebration as team reaches T20 World Cup semifinal

Fans take to the streets from Kabul to Kandahar and Khost to Laghman as Afghanistan reach first-ever World Cup semifinal.

Zikria, a 30-year-old Kabul resident, stayed up after the predawn prayers to follow Afghanistan’s ICC T20 World Cup 2024 virtual knockout match against Bangladesh that started at 5am (00:30 GMT).

Four and a half hours and multiple rain interruptions later, Afghanistan edged Bangladesh in a thrilling contest and booked their maiden semifinal appearance at the tournament.

“I kept praying [for Afghanistan] throughout the match,” Zikria told Al Jazeera. “I am proud of my team, my captain Rashid Khan and all the support staff.”

Shortly after Naveenul Haq dismissed Mustafizur Rahman to seal Afghanistan’s place in the last four, celebrations erupted in various parts of the cricket-mad Asian country.

Look, what this success means to us!