When Afghanistan edged out Scotland in a thrilling encounter at the University Oval in Dunedin on Thursday, the remote New Zealand town instantly secured its place in Afghan memory. This was the war-torn country's first-ever World Cup victory and it sent people dancing in the streets of Kabul and other cities.

Scotland lost wickets at regular intervals and got out for a pretty meager 210 runs. Still, the Scots got the upper hand early on by reducing Afghanistan to 97 for 7 in 24 overs. Afghanistan held its nerve. Samiullah Shenwari played a calm and collected innings of 96 runs with batsmen 9 and 10 ‒ Hamid Hassan and Shapoor Zadran ‒ making crucial runs and taking the team over the line with one wicket and three balls to spare.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was among the first to congratulate the team.

It seemed like everyone, including both the Taliban and government forces, erupted in celebrations with gun salutes and cheers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, the celebrations took place against a somber backdrop. The same day, Afghanistan was hit with one of the worst avalanches it had ever recorded, which left over 200 people dead.