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[Saba Sports News] The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 features the ninth match between India and Afghanistan. Notably, Afghanistan’s team wears black armbands in a gesture of mourning for the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Afghanistan on October 11, causing a tragic loss of over 2,400 lives just days after previous tremors claimed more lives.
Before the match, both teams and the Arun Jaitley Stadium observed two minutes of silence to pay their respects to the earthquake victims. Rashid Khan, Afghanistan’s star cricketer, pledged to donate his match fees from the ICC Cricket World Cup to aid the earthquake victims. Asghar Afghan also appealed for assistance from the ICC and cricketers worldwide for the earthquake-affected Afghanistan in an emotional Twitter post.
The powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Herat in western Afghanistan, resulting in over 2,400 lives lost, 2,000 injuries, and the destruction of 1,300 homes. This disaster occurred just 16 months after another major earthquake in June 2022, which claimed 1,000 lives.
Afghanistan had a shaky start in the ICC World Cup 2023, suffering a defeat against Bangladesh, where their batting line-up struggled and posted a mere 156 runs. Under Hashmatullah Shahidi’s leadership, Afghanistan is determined to make a strong comeback in their match against India.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran displayed promising batting, but Zadran’s dismissal by Jasprit Bumrah brought a challenge they aim to overcome to build a substantial total.