- Ricky Ponting praised Afghanistan cricket team.
- Afghanistan reached the semi-finals but lost to South Africa.
- He acknowledged the team's strong performance under pressure.
After a strong showing, Afghanistan made it to the semi-finals but were defeated by South Africa in the penultimate match.
Ponting expressed his belief that Afghanistan’s cricket is on the brink of a significant breakthrough.
“It’s hard for an outsider to try and explain just how big it is for them,” Ponting was quoted as saying by ICC.
"They stood up under the biggest pressure, the biggest moments, the biggest teams at this World Cup, and thoroughly deserved their place in the semi-final.
“It’s an epic journey. I’m sure it’s just the beginning of bigger things to come for Afghanistan.”
Ponting also commended Afghanistan’s captain Rashid Khan, bowlers Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi, and highlighted Rahmanullah Gurbaz as an exceptional talent.
“The thing is they’ve been really smart - they’ve identified conditions early,” Ponting continued.
"They’ve been the linchpins, with their top-order batsmen and lead bowlers setting the tone throughout this tournament. With a few more skilled middle-order batsmen in the coming years, they’re poised to build a formidable team.
"Ten years ago, that was Afghanistan. 15 years ago, that was Bangladesh. 25 years ago, that was Sri Lanka.
"And look at where they are now. You really have to start somewhere. You hope that when they go back home, they’ve learnt a lot from their experiences here.”
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