Sharjah: Afghanistan skipper Mohammad Nabi broke down during the national anthem was played ahead of his team’s fixture against Scotland in Sharjah on October 25. Nabi was appointed Afghanistan’s skipper after Rashid Khan stepped down.
Afghanistan began their T20 World Cup campaign with a thumping 130-run win over Scotland on Monday in Sharjah. Spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman took five wickets in Afghanistan’s record 130-run rout. Chasing a daunting 191 for victory, Scotland was bowled out for 60 in 10.2 overs with five batters dismissed for ducks in Sharjah.
But what caught everyone’s attention was an emotional Afghan captain before the game. When the two teams were there in the middle for the national anthem, the fans noticed tears in the Afghanistan skipper’s eyes. Nabi couldn’t control his emotions after listening to his country’s national anthem and he broke into tears amid challenging circumstances back home. Notably, Afghanistan is going through a tough phase for the past few months due to the takeover by the Taliban.
As soon as the video was shared on social media for the first time on Monday, Twitter flooded with reactions to the heart-melting sight of Nabi. Here’s how Twitter reacted:
افغانستان کے کپتان محمد نبی قومی ترانے کو سنتے فرط جذبات سے رونے لگے pic.twitter.com/kMMrFZN2g7
— Naimat Khan (@NKMalazai) October 25, 2021
The pain of the homeland is excruciating😥😢
Nabi Jan is the head of the ❤️ #nabi pic.twitter.com/ZGSz1dZURy— Faridullah Wahdat (@FaridullahWahd2) October 25, 2021
This melted my heart. 💔 🇦🇫
Emotional scene! Afghan cricket captain Mohammad Nabi is crying for the national anthem lyrics ahead of the #AFGvSCO match in #T20WorldCup.
Game is on! Come on Afghan Atalan! It is your day. Stay Strong 💪 #FreeAfghanistan pic.twitter.com/MWLzUyQEOU
— Fatima Ayoubi 🇦🇫🕊 (@Meenah_Bahar) October 25, 2021
This is not just Mohammad nabi’s feelings its the feelings and emotions of a nation.@MohammadNabi007❤️. #afg pic.twitter.com/sqHo0rYoOb
— theafghangirl🇦🇫 (@leimaaaaa) October 25, 2021
Nabi, who has led Afghanistan in 12 T20Is in 2013-14, is leading the team for the first time in a major ICC event. Nabi spoke about the current crisis in Afghanistan which has been developing over the last few months and the importance of cricket amid that challenging scenario. Nabi also opined that if they win the tournament, fans will be happy and it will bring smiles to his country.
“Everyone knows that back home in Afghanistan there’s a lot happening and everything from the last few months,” Nabi acknowledged in the press conference ahead of the game in Sharjah on Monday.
“But from a cricket point of view, everybody is ready for this World Cup and we prepared well. The fans are really waiting because the only happiness in Afghanistan is cricket. If you’re willing to do well in the tournament and we win the games, the fans are really happy and there will be a lot of smiles on faces.” he added.
