For the unversed, Lara predicted before the tournament that Afghanistan would qualify for the final four teams.
Afghanistan registered a thrilling eight-run victory over Bangladesh in the rain-hit clash in Kingstown to book their place for the semi-final, where they will face South Africa.
“It’s a dream for us to be in the semi-finals. The way we started the tournament, the belief came when we beat New Zealand. It’s unbelievable,” Rashid Khan said in the post-match interview.
“The only guy who put us in the semi-finals was Brian Lara and we proved him right. When we met him at a welcome party, I told him we won’t let you down.
It’s a massive celebration back home. It’s a big achievement for us as well. We have done that at the U-19 level but at this World Cup, I don’t have any words to describe the feeling back home. We must go into the semis with a very clear mind and ensure we enjoy the occasion.”
The leg-spinner also admitted that Afghanistan were 15 runs short with the bat as they managed 115-5 in the allocated 20 overs. However, he stated that bowlers had a clear plan and earned the rewards.
“We thought 130-135 was a good score but fell 15 runs short. We knew they would come hard at us and we knew that is what we could take advantage of. We didn’t need to do anything extra, just be clear in our plans.