Star bowler lauds full team performance in strong U19WC win
Wahid Zadran expresses his satisfaction as Afghanistan move to the top of Group D at the U19 World Cup.
Afghanistan excelled in all three key disciplines in their dominant win against the West Indies at the ICC Under-19 Men's Cricket World Cup.
They took down the Caribbean side with relative ease, claiming a 138-run triumph in Namibia's capital, off the back of a strong batting display that yielded a 50-over total of 262/6.
Opener Osman Sadat (88 off 131) and captain Mahboob Khan (86 off 69) were the key scoring contributions and the quality involvements continued when it was Afghanistan's time to field.
A statement win for Afghanistan | Match Highlights | U19 CWC 2026
Their opening bowlers delivered early, led by Wahid Zadran's efforts, finishing with impressive figures of 3/36 off nine overs.
"It's always been a pleasure bowling good at the top of the Powerplay," Zadran said post-game.
"But the team ... I always (give the credit) to the team, the rest I don't care about. So it's very, very good (to get the win)."
The moment Afghanistan sealed their win over West Indies | U19 CWC 2026
Afghanistan displayed class in the field as well, which their star bowler was quick to point to.
"I give all the credit to (our fielders)," Zadran continued.
"We took some brilliant catches (and made) some brilliant stops, which gives the bowlers lots of confidence and lots of energy, so really happy and our fielders are doing well so far."
While it was Osman Sadat that anchored their batting innings, skipper Mahboob's aggressive 86 went a long way to inspiring the rest of the team at Namibia's High Performance Oval in Windhoek.
"(Mahboob) is (very) responsible for the team ... he's also the keeper and he (was) leading from the front today," Zadran said.
"He did really well, so that was the reason we did really well and we won.
"(The openers did) so well. When the team starts well, it's going well for (everyone) ... then in the middle, (Mahboob) played very well, so the total was very fair and went very well for us, so we bowled with confidence and (were) very good, so (overall) we were so happy.
A captain's knock from Mahboob | POTM Highlights | U19 CWC 2026
"It was a day that made history, looking forward, because in cricket, every day's a new day ... we just want to take the momentum of today to the (next) game."
Afghanistan now sit clear at the top of Group D, dreaming big at the World Cup. They will look to remain unbeaten ahead of the Super Six stage when they take on Tanzania in Namibia on Wednesday.