Lots of hooting and screaming and smiles from ear to ear as Afghanistan's players lay their hands on the trophy. The sun is still beating down on a glorious evening in Harare, and it's all frankly pristine conditions to soak in a hard-earned victory. They have ticked both the boxes they came here to tick. It's without a doubt a landmark moment in their cricket history.
That will be a wrap of this tournament then. The world of cricket has been witness to some murky incidents over the past several days and weeks, but here is something that will put a smile on several faces. Underdog stories are always heartwarming, and Afghanistan have impressed one and all with their resolve. Onwards and upwards to England 2019. Thank you for joining us.
Shubham S: "Sikandar gave one of the best cricket speeches I have heard. I love the mention of Nepal and the solidarity he showed to the teams who lost their ODI status. Very impassioned speech."
Utsab: "Grand salute to Afghanistan. They played really well. And sincere thanks to Nepal too, whose win against Hongkong made this possible. Wow! Very happy for Afghanistan, they deserved it too."
Shubham S: "I am impressed by the depth of Afghanistan, their 16 year old bowler just picked up four wickets. Really want them to perform well and make a lot of noise in the World Cup."
4.22pm We're preparing for the presentations.
The match officials are in line up first to collect their medallions.
Mohammad Shahzad is the Man of the Match. "My form is peaking at the right time. My team needs me in form. we played good cricket in the last two games. First we qualified for the World Cup, and now we're champions. I'm proud of my team. We have the world's no. 1 spinner and the no. 3 allrounder, that's why I said, 'West Indies, we're coming'. The wicket is very good for batting in the second innings. My job is to hit the ball, the people's job is to see the ball. The West Indies guys are good human beings, and I have a lot of friends from their team."
Sikandar Raza, the home team allrounder, is Man of the Series. What a tournament he had. Flourished with the bat, sparkled with the ball, collected three Man of the Match awards, and now this. "I'm not happy at all. This trophy is a painful reminder of the dreams we had," he says, almost breaking down. "It's a reminder of the 15 million dreams we crushed. Unfortunately we will not be in the World Cup next year. There were some good things. Congratulations to Nepal for getting ODI status. There's been lot of memories, but it's a painful reminder."
That was an emotional speech, and you can't help but feel what he must be going through. They played their hearts out, and nearly had one foot into the World Cup. And then, a cruel combination of circumstances broke the hearts of a thoroughly enthusiastic home crowd that came in large numbers in good spirits. And remember, it was the wrong no-ball decision that led to Raza's dismissal against West Indies that hurt their late flourish against West Indies. Had they won that game, they would have been through.
"Well done to Afghanistan, especially the way they played after the group stages," says West Indies captain Jason Holder. "Having said that, I'm proud of the boys. We came here to achieve a target, and various boys put their hands up. We had a quick turnaround between games, but I'm proud of them for sticking it in. Obviously disappointed not to win this final. But we had some great performances throughout. I want to thank my team for their support."
And now onto the champions as the Afghanistan players walk up to the podium to collect their winners' medallions. "Today we are very happy because we have attained our dream," says Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai. "West Indies are full member and a very experienced team, and to beat them is special. Afghanistan people want the cup. Qualification is big news, but they want the cup, and that is why I took the risk to play this game. But, with god's grace, the result is good. We are working hard for England."
WATCH - Shahzad's match-winning 84 (Available only to viewers in UK and Australia)
4.11pm The delight in the Afghanistan camp tells a story. This is a tournament they began in far from the brightest fashion, but they have clawed back. They never gave up and continued to believe. And as a result, they have earned themselves a spot in next year's World Cup and now the trophy. Mohammad Shahzad was their heor today, but Rashid was inarguably the man of their tournament. Became the fastest to 100 ODI wickets today. And he's smashed the record, a good eight games clear of Mitchell Starc.
Don't forget West Indies' exploits in this tournament. They began in dominant fashion, winning all their games in the group stage. They slightly slipped up in the Super Sixes, and admittedly had their share of good fortune in qualifying, but it'd be unjust to put it down to just that.
WATCH - Nabi scores the winning runs (Available only to viewers in UK and Australia)
Sanjae: "I seriously think Windies need a change of Captain. We hardly qualified for the world cup and our performance was lackluster. We need a captain that can be aggressive and Holder doesn't fit that position. I can't understand how he didn't bowl Roach and he wanted to win the tournament. "
Irfan Ashraf: "Besides the lights and delights of the PSL Final in Karachi; Who had thought that after losing their 3 initial matches out of total 4 group matches; Afghanistan will reach into the final of CWC Qualifier and will also beat the Kaali Aandhi (i.e. West Indies). Even at that stage, the Afghan Team did not think/dream like that. And today, they have proved that they have the ability to defeat any cricketing nation of the world. Well done Afghan Cricket Team . . . That's is the CRICKET . . . "
oscar: "Well done Afghanistan, though I am Zimbabwean, I am impressed by the development of cricket in Afghanistan. We should learn from Afghanistan. There is real development and it's evident"
