Former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja supported the Afghanistan team in their upcoming crucial match against Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and also made a valid point to Waqar Younis who was doubting the Afghan team.
After Afghanistan defeated England in the Champions Trophy 2025, its head coach, Jonathan Trott, stated that no team would make the mistake of taking Afghanistan lightly.
Referring to the statement, Waqar Younis asked the famous Wasim Akram on Ten Sports' special Champions Trophy broadcast 'Dressing Room' whether Afghanistan can realistically upset Australia in their next match on Friday in Lahore. A win over Australia will ensure Afghanistan qualifies for the semi-final of the CT 2025.
Wasim Akram, on being asked by Younis, highlighted how Afghanistan produced a stellar display with bat and ball to beat England by eight runs.
"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 is on song, then they can beat any team in the world," Akram said on the DP World Dressing Room show.
Jadeja, also on the panel, then decided to remind everyone of Afghanistan's good record in the last three ICC events. According to Jadeja, Afghanistan has won more matches than Pakistan in the last three ICC competitions, and their triumphs should never be viewed as a "one-off".
"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," Jadeja said.
Afghanistan has won ten matches in the last three International Cricket Council competitions. Five of them participated in the last T20 World Cup, where they made history by reaching the semi-finals.
They even defeated Australia, knocking them out of the tournament. They nearly missed out on a semi-final position at the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, finishing with four victories out of nine matches. They also defeated Pakistan in the World Cup 2023.
Pakistan, on the other hand, has failed to go beyond the group stage in any of these events, winning only six matches throughout three ICC competitions. They bowed out of the Champions Trophy without winning a game.
"The best thing about that team is that whenever they come onto the field, they want to win, whether it's batting or fielding. There's a collective hunger to do well against the best teams in the world," Akram said.
Jadeja, who served as a consultant to Afghanistan during the 2023 ODI World Cup, stated that the players think they can win a game in any situation, and that belief has made all the difference in recent times.
"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," Jadeja said.
