Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott hopes the World Cup win over England will encourage youngsters to take up cricket though the Taliban rulers ban women from playing sport.
The 69-run victory will be regarded as one of the biggest shocks in the history of the tournament as Afghanistan ended a 14-match World Cup losing streak.
"It's not just cricket the guys are playing for," said Trott, who recognizes the significance of a win for a nation reeling from recent earthquakes and the Taliban's fractious relations. "If this can put a smile on people's faces and encourage boys and girls to pick up a cricket bat or a ball and get playing then that's the sort of the goal that's been achieved."
Before Sunday, Afghanistan had only won one match at the World Cup, defeating Scotland on their 2015 debut. They lost all nine matches they played at the 2019 tournament in England.
But having scored 284 on Sunday thanks to opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz's blistering 80 and Ikram Alikhil's 58, Afghanistan's bowlers set to work.
Only Harry Brook with 66 showed any real defiance, while spinners Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan claimed three wickets each as England were dismissed for 215.
The result left both sides with a win and two losses after three games in the 10-nation tournament.
"This win is significant," said Trott. "It'll have a knock-on effect to all the other games - not only in this World Cup but for the future."
Next up for Afghanistan are New Zealand, who have three wins from three games, including seeing off England in the tournament opener.
England captain Jos Buttler said the defending champions must "show a lot of character [and] play some of our best cricket."
Ikram Alikhil rejoices after Rashid Khan bowls out Mark Wood to end the match.
Jonathan Trott
