Ajay Jadeja took a dig at Pakistan legend Waqar Younis while backing Afghanistan. The incident took place before their Champions Trophy 2025 clash against Australia. Jadeja pointed out that Afghanistan have won more ICC matches than Pakistan in recent years.
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Former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja took a dig at Pakistan legend Waqar Younis while backing Afghanistan ahead of their Champions Trophy 2025 clash against Australia. Afghanistan’s final group-stage match against Australia on Friday was interrupted by rain in Lahore and eventually abandoned after a few hours of play. As a result, both teams shared a point, with Australia securing a spot in the semi-finals.
Afghanistan must now wait for the outcome of the South Africa-England match. A win for South Africa would see them qualify as the second semi-finalist from Group B, but if they lose, the team with the superior net run rate (NNR) will advance.
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Ajay Jadeja takes a jibe at Waqar Younis
Ajay Jadeja, speaking on Sports Central’s Dressing Room show, recently reminded Waqar Younis that Afghanistan has won more matches in ICC events than Pakistan in recent years, making their success anything but a fluke. The discussion arose after Afghanistan stunned England in a thrilling encounter earlier this week, securing an eight-run victory.
Following the match, Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott asserted that no team should take his side lightly anymore. Waqar Younis, however, remained skeptical and asked fellow Pakistan great Wasim Akram whether Afghanistan could realistically challenge Australia in their upcoming match on Friday in Lahore.
Responding to Younis, Akram acknowledged Afghanistan’s remarkable performance in recent times and how they defended 320 runs against England.
“The way they won that game against England… Ibrahim Zadran played so well after they lost early wickets, and then to defend 320 with a wet ball was commendable. The ball was literally wet because of the dew. That will give them a lot of confidence. Yeah, Australia can make it one-sided, but if Afghanistan is on song, then they can beat any team in the world,” Akram said.
At this point, Jadeja jumped in to remind everyone of Afghanistan’s impressive track record in recent ICC events. He pointed out that Afghanistan has actually won more games than Pakistan across the last three ICC tournaments. Jadeja served as Afghanistan’s team mentor during the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they beat England to create history.
“They have won more games than your team, my friend, in ICC events. Anybody who thinks it’s a one-off thing is fooling themselves,” Jadeja quipped.
Afghanistan have secured ten victories across the last three ICC tournaments. Five of those wins came in the previous T20 World Cup, where they made history by reaching the semi-finals. Their rapid rise in world cricket has thus far seen them beat strong teams like Australia and England at the global stage.