‘Have won more games than your team’ – Ajay Jadeja taunts Waqar Younis while speaking about Afghanistan’s win over England

Former Indian batter Ajay Jadeja took a huge swiper at Pakistan cricket team on the show ‘Dressing Room’ which he was part of. The show also had former Pakistan stars like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. Former Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar had joined Ajay Jadeja and Nikhil Chopra to discuss Afghanistan’s win over England. It is to be noted that Jadeja had served as Afghanistan’s batting coach in 2023 ODI World Cup. 

During the show, Jadeja said to Waqar Younis that Afghanistan’s win wasn’t a fluke. The former India batter said, “They have won more games than your team, my friend, in ICC events. Anybody who thinks it's a one-off thing is fooling themselves. Now they believe they can get out of any situation. When you win close games then it's all about belief. That they have shown in this tournament.”

Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram also praised the Afghans and said, “The way they won that game against England. Ibrahim Zadran played so well after they lost early wickets and then to defend 320 with a wet ball was commendable. The ball was literally wet because of the dew. That will give them a lot of confidence. Yeah, Australia can make it one-sided, but if Afghanistan are on song, then they can beat any team in the world.”

Afghanistan opts to bat first in must-win match vs Australia

Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore hosted the match between Australia and Afghanistan. The equation is simple for both sides, if Afghanistan loses the game they are out of the tournament since they just have two points. In the case of a loss for Australia, Steve Smith and his side will have to hope that England can beat South Africa on Saturday. 

Hasmatullah Shahidi won the toss and chose to bat first on what was an overcast day in Lahore. Both sides went into the game unchanged from their previous match. Speaking at the toss, Shahidi said, “We will bat first because the wickets looks good, it's a used pitch, England and Australia already played on this pitch so it will slow down in the second half and hopefully, our spinners will come into play.”

Australian skipper Steve Smith said, “We would have bowled first, uncertain overhead conditions and there's the dew factor as well. All the guys are doing good, should be a good contest, looking forward to it. Coming here with good intent and aggression and ready to get started.”