T20 World Cup: Afghanistan claim historic Australia scalp to keep semi-final hopes alive
Afghanistan managed to keep their chances of reaching the T20 World Cup semi-finals alive by defeating Australia, who had not lost a game before this match, by 21 runs in an exciting game on Saturday.
Even though Pat Cummins achieved a rare feat by taking a hat-trick in two consecutive innings, Afghanistan still managed to score 148-6 after being told to bat first on a challenging pitch at the Arnos Vale Ground.
Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran scored 118 runs together, setting a new record for the highest opening partnership against Australia in a T20 match. However, Australia's bowlers fought back towards the end, with Cummins achieving his second career hat-trick - just days after his first one.
Australia struggled to score runs and eventually all their players were dismissed for a total of 127 runs. The only one who managed to do well was Glenn Maxwell, scoring 59 runs off 41 balls. He was able to handle the strong Afghanistan bowlers and the tricky pitch better than his teammates.
The standout player of the game, Guldabin Naib, was the hero for Afghanistan as he took four important wickets during the middle overs to slow down Australia's pursuit of victory. Azmatullah Omarzai then made a crucial catch to dismiss the last Australian batsman, Adam Zampa, in the closing over, sealing a remarkable win for Afghanistan. The players and team management celebrated the victory with great joy and excitement.
Afghanistan's win puts them at two points in Group 1, tied with Australia but behind on net run rate. India is in the lead with four points. Despite Bangladesh being at the bottom with two losses, they still have a shot at making it to the semifinals.
"It's a huge victory for us as a team and as a country in the World Cup, defeating the champions," stated captain Rashid Khan.
"It holds a lot of significance for people in Afghanistan as well as supporters worldwide. The Afghan community is deeply feeling the absence of this victory and I am confident they would have felt immense pride and joy from the game. I believe this is just the start of something great for us."
Marsh: Team In Danger In Afghanistan
Australia captain Mitchell Marsh praised the opposing cricket team, acknowledging their strong skills and significant improvement in recent years. He noted that they were a formidable opponent, especially in the current conditions, and gave them credit for outplaying his team.
Australia will face India in St. Lucia on Monday with the knowledge that a win is likely necessary to secure their spot in the semi-finals.
"Initially, we need to focus on recovering. We have confidence in our team and believe that we are strong in cricket. Even though we did not perform well tonight, the positive side is that we have another game in just 36 hours. It's going to be a significant match for us."
The upcoming match against India is crucial for our team and we must win. Looking back at our team's past games, it is clear that playing against India brings out the best in our players. Therefore, our team will be motivated and ready for the challenge.
Before, Gurbaz hit 60 runs from 49 balls, while Zadran scored a consistent 51 runs from 48 balls as they set a strong foundation - supported by some surprisingly sloppy fielding by Australia.
Marcus Stoinis finally got a breakthrough in the 16th over by dismissing Gurbaz, which changed the momentum of the game and led to a series of wickets falling.
Adam Zampa claimed two wickets in the following over, one of them being Zadran's, and then Pat Cummins once again showed his skill. He managed to get Rashid Khan out with the last ball of the 18th over, with Tim David catching the ball in the deep.
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Cummins came back to bowl the last over of the innings. On his first delivery, he managed to get Karim Janat out again, with David catching the ball.
During the hat-trick ball, Cummins skillfully threw a slower delivery that Guldabin Naib could only hit into the air. Glenn Maxwell quickly ran in from the boundary to catch the ball and complete the hat-trick.
Australia began their chase poorly, losing Travis Head without scoring a run, as he was bowled by Naveen-ul-Haq with only the third ball of the innings.
Captain Mitchell Marsh, aged 12, hit two impressive shots before being taken out by Naveen for the second wicket. When David Warner, with a score of three, fell to spinner Mohammad Nabi's first ball, the Australian team found themselves in a difficult situation at 32-3 in just the sixth over.
Stoinis and Maxwell helped the Australian team by stabilizing the innings as they reached a score of 70-3 by the midpoint of the game.
Gulbadin was the eighth player to bowl for Afghanistan within the first 11 overs. This decision quickly paid off when Stoinis hit a pull shot that was caught by Gurbaz.
Gulbadin then eliminated David (two) and when the versatile player Maxwell was caught by Noor Ahmad in a stunning manner, it seemed that an unexpected win was possible.
Australia's tail-end batsmen were unable to score the needed big hits during the critical moment. Afghanistan secured a well-deserved victory when veteran Nabi caught Zampa (nine) on the boundary.
Australia will play against India in St Lucia on Monday, with the match airing live on Sky Sports Cricket starting at 3pm and the first ball being bowled at 3.30pm. Afghanistan will wrap up their Super 8s campaign against Bangladesh on Tuesday, with the match airing live on Sky Sports Cricket at 1.30am. The semi-finals will be held on Thursday, June 27, followed by the final on June 29.
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