Promising outcome but challenges remain

Afghanistan and Netherlands are the stories of the World Cup but now comes the hard bit

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN

WHEN the Afghanistan players lined up for the anthems against South Africa at Ahmedabad on Friday, they would have done so with a 'what if?' hanging over their heads. What if they had beaten Australia? What if they were in control of their destiny? What if they hadn't been punched in the gut by a Glenn Maxwell-shaped wall. What if they were a win away from the semifinal? Irrespective of where they finish, they are quite comfortably the story of the tournament.

Four wins, three of which came over former champions. Within the context of the modern men's cricket World Cup, teams like Afghanistan aren't supposed to advance. Ever since Kenya's surprise run to the semifinals of the 2003 edition, the establishment has held sway in all the subsequent editions.

In a cruel twist of fate, just when they seem to have taken big strides in understanding the grammar of ODI cricket-especially batting they may run out of time to master the format.