There was no dearth of support for the Afghanistan cricket team during their stunning 69-run win over England in New Delhi on Sunday.
And recognising their hand in the famous win, Afghanistan players thanked their 12th man -- supporters in the stands -- after registering their first win of the tournament.
Fan favourite and Afghanistan's ever-reliable leggie Rashid Khan took to his social media handles to show his gratitude to the fans.
'Delhi sach mein dil walon ki hai. A huge thank you to all the fans at the stadium who supported us and kept us going through out the game. And to all our supporters around the world, thank you for your love.
Opening batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz congratulated his teammates and his nation after the 21-year-old thanked the crowds in the stand.
'We always say that India is our second home. We love the crowd and they give a lot of love to us, that’s the main reason we love India. And wherever we go, like in every city, they come for us and they cheer for us and support us. So we are really happy with all the crowd and of course, we respect the crowd coming from Afghanistan, from different parts, to the ground,” Gurbaz said after the historic win.
'Really proud moment beating the defending champions. Great all around team performance. Congratulations to the whole nation#ENGvsAFG #WorldCup2023,' he wrote on X.
Gurbaz came up with an impactful knock of 80 in 57 balls to set stage for Afghanistan to get their second highest score in ODI cricket as they put on 283 on the board against England.
Chasing the target, England lost wickets at regular intervals, with the spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Mohammad Nabi worked in tandem to script England's downfall as the defending champs were humbled by 69 runs.
