ARNOS VALE, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan hailed the inspiration of cricket legend Brian Lara for helping them secure a place in the T20 World Cup semis for the first time.
Afghanistan reached the last four for the first time courtesy of a knife-edge, eight-run victory over Bangladesh on Monday, a win that also saw mighty Australia eliminated.
“I think we have proved one person right was Brian Lara, the only person who mentioned Afghanistan will be in the semis,” said Rashid.
“I think we told him that when we met him in the welcome party. When you get that kind of great, great statement from a legend, as a team, I think it gives you lots of energy.”
Afghanistan will face undefeated South Africa in the first semifinal in Trinidad on Wednesday.
India will tackle defending champions England in the second semifinal in Guyana on Thursday.
Defending a modest total of 115-5 against Bangladesh in their final second round Super Eights match on a bowler-friendly surface, Rashid finished with figures of 4-23.
Naveen-ul-Haq took 4-26 as Bangladesh were dismissed for just 105, chasing a revised target of 114 off 19 overs.
On a night of fluctuating emotions there were also three rain delays which saw various mathematical equations come into play.
Had Bangladesh scored their runs in 12.1 overs, they would have won the match and claimed the remaining semifinal spot.
There was tension after Bangladesh fell behind the asking rate at the end of the 11th over when Afghanistan all-rounder Gulbadin Naib went down with cramps just as the threat of more rain appeared.
Rashid insisted the incident was not a device to keep his side ahead of the run rate should the match be halted permanently.
“He had some cramp, I don’t know what happened to him and I don’t know what’s going on in social media but that doesn’t matter,” said the captain.
“It’s just a field injury which comes and then we haven’t lost any overs, the rain came and we just went off, it’s not something like brought a massive difference in the game.
“We came back on field after five minutes and there was no massive difference. For me, it’s just like a small injury, you have to take some time.”
South Africa made the semifinals with seven wins in seven matches but they have been pushed to the limit.
Against Nepal in the opening round, they won by just one run.
However, South Africa have defeated Afghanistan in their only two other T20 meetings — by 59 runs at Barbados in the 2010 World Cup and 37 runs in Mumbai six years later.
“It’s a big achievement for us as a team and a nation being in the semifinals and with the cricket we have played in the whole tournament I think we deserve it,” added Rashid who played in that 2016 defeat, where he went wicketless for 51 runs.
Afghanistan hail Lara inspiration in T20 World Cup heroics
https://arab.news/j6h3t
Afghanistan hail Lara inspiration in T20 World Cup heroics
- Afghanistan reached the last four for the first time courtesy of a knife-edge, eight-run victory over Bangladesh
- Rashid Khan: ‘I think we have proved one person right was Brian Lara, the only person who mentioned Afghanistan will be in the semis’
‘20 years of engagement’ — inaugural Formula 4 championship success signals bright future for motorsport in Saudi Arabia
- Peter Thompson, founder of the Formula 4 Saudi Arabian Championship and Meritus.GP team principal, spoke about the Kingdom’s first motorsport academy and his hopes for the future
RIYADH: Last year welcomed the inaugural season of the FIA-certified Aramco Formula 4 Saudi Arabian Championship.
The series, which aims to provide the first step on the ladder towards Formula 1, was the culmination of years of collaboration between various investors and partners, led by the Kingdom’s first motorsport academy, Meritus.GP.
The championship’s mission?
To produce local driving talent, strengthen Saudi national race engineering capabilities and advance motorsport in alignment with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
Five Saudi drivers emerged, with standout victories by Omar Al-Dereyaan and Faisal Al-Kabbani, both from Riyadh. Other graduates included race winner Oscar Wurz, who has since won the 2025 Central European Formula 4 Championship.
Arab News spoke with Peter Thompson, founder of Formula 4 Saudi Arabia and Meritus.GP, about the season’s success and his hopes for the future.
How did Meritus.GP build the Formula 4 Saudi Arabian Championship?
The Formula 4 Saudi Arabian Championship was the result of more than 20 years of engagement, exploration and groundwork in Saudi Arabia, in anticipation of a potential FIA-certified junior single-seater championship in the Kingdom.
Long before the first Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, we were on the ground exploring circuit development opportunities, assessing infrastructure readiness and evaluating whether Saudi Arabia could host a round of one of the Asian championships operated by the team. Throughout this period, we maintained long-standing relationships within Saudi motorsport circles including former Meritus.GP driver Raad Abduljawad and his brother Mohammed Abduljawad.
A defining moment came with the introduction of Formula 1 to Saudi Arabia. The Jeddah Corniche Circuit quickly became a visible symbol of this ambition, providing confidence that Saudi Arabia could support not only Formula One, but also a structured ladder of junior single-seater racing.
When did Meritus.GP receive formal institutional approval to begin Formula 4 Saudi Arabia?
More than three years of focused groundwork preceded the first race. During this period there was no formal government mandate, no guaranteed institutional backing and no commercial certainty that the project would proceed or be viable.
Then, in December 2022, a formal No-Objection Letter was issued by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, under the leadership of its then-CEO Sattam Al-Hozami, which allowed the project to progress from concept to reality.
Recognizing the benefits F4 would bring to the Kingdom, Mohammed Abduljawad became an investor in June 2023, and Formula 4 Saudi Arabia moved into full delivery mode.
What were the objectives of the proposal presented to Saudi Aramco?
The proposal positioned Aramco Formula 4 Saudi Arabia as a long-term national development platform aligned with Vision 2030.
Its objectives included creating a structured FIA driver pathway from grassroots to Formula One, as well as developing Saudi engineers, mechanics and officials in motorsports.
How did the championship support Saudi drivers, and what was the impact on local talent?
A core objective of Formula 4 Saudi Arabia was to create a genuine, fair and internationally credible environment in which Saudi racers could develop.
Saudi drivers competed alongside international peers under identical technical and sporting conditions, allowing performance and development to be measured objectively.
They ended up achieving race wins, podium finishes and measurable progress across the season, demonstrating that when provided with the right structure, Saudi talent can compete at international level.
How has Formula 4 Saudi Arabia engaged with Saudi education and skills development?
Education and skills transfer formed an important part of the championship’s wider mission.
During the season, Meritus.GP engineers and senior staff visited Saudi education and research institutions such as KAUST, Alfaisal University, University of Tabuk and the Japanese College in Jeddah to discuss career pathways in motorsport engineering, data analysis, and systems integration. These engagements were designed to connect academic study with real-world high-performance engineering environments.
What level of investment was required and how did you ensure equality of performance?
Approximately $6.5 million was invested prior to the first event.
Was there any pre-season training to help Saudi drivers prepare?
During August and September 2023 Saudi drivers participated in a structured pre-season academy program at Meritus.GP’s training facility in Sepang, Malaysia.
What role did sports psychology and driver well-being play in the championship?
Driver well-being and mental performance were treated as integral components of driver development.
Formula 4 Saudi Arabia appointed a dedicated sports psychologist to support drivers throughout the season, focusing on mental preparation, confidence building, coping strategies, performance consistency and adaptation to high-pressure racing environments.
