Her happiness means the world: Afghanistan’s Atal dedicates maiden ton to mother

Sediqullah Atal, who hit his maiden century for Afghanistan in just his fifth ODI and 14th international, dedicated it to his mother for being the motivation in his life.

“My family, especially my mother, is my biggest source of motivation. Whenever I perform well, I dedicate my success to her as her happiness means the world to me,” Atal was quoted as saying to Cricbuzz ahead of the third ODI of the three-match series against Zimbabwe.

Atal, who was part of the 2024 Emerging Teams Asia Cup T20 tournament and finished as the leading run-getter as Afghanistan A lifted the trophy, beating India A in the semi-finals and Sri Lanka A in the final, said the tournament helped strengthen his confidence a lot.

“Winning the Emerging Asia Cup title was a monumental achievement for Afghanistan cricket. As the tournament’s top scorer, I gained immense confidence as I realized that I possess the ability to excel at all levels,” said the 23-year-old.

The left-handed batsman was also focused on excelling in the future, which is why he is focusing on sharpening his skills and improving his fitness.

“Cricket is constantly evolving and it is important to keep learning in modern cricket. I consistently focus on improving my fitness and skills to position myself as a good package of physical, mental and technical ability on the international stage,” he said.