Afghanistan batter Ibrahim Zadran made a few statements in Chennai on Monday -- first while scoring a match-winning 87 while chasing Pakistan's target of 273 and later while accepting the Player of the Match award for his swashbuckling knock.
The Aghan opener dedicated his Player of the Match award to the Afghans who had been deported from Pakistan.
"I am feeling very glad for myself and for my country. I want to dedicate this man of the match award to those who are sent back to Afghanistan from Pakistan," Zadran said in a post-match presentation.
"I wanted to go out there with a positive mind and positive intent, and I did it. We (Gurbaz and himself) have played a lot of cricket with each other, we have good communication while running between the wickets as we have been playing together since under-16 days," said the Afghanistan opener.
The state-run radio of Pakistan has reported that 3,248 Afghan refugees were returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan in a single day on October 21, Khaama Press reported. According to Pakistani authorities, more than 51,000 Afghans have been deported since the deadline for the expulsion of undocumented migrants was announced.
According to a Pakistan-based news daily, the government's decision to restrict border crossing to only those with valid passports and visas will come into effect on November 1, and after that, no one will be allowed to cross the Pak-Afghan border using a Pakistani identity card or Afghan permit. Approximately 1.73 million Afghans in Pakistan lack legal documentation.
Afghanistan created history by trouncing Pakistan for the first time in ODIs, winning by 8 wickets.
