Afghanistan defeated Australia by 21 runs in a thrilling match in Kingstown, St. Vincent, during the Super Eights, Group One of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The win gave the competition a thrilling new chapter and demonstrated Afghanistan’s cricketing skill.
Afghanistan set a difficult goal for themselves in their 20 overs of batting first, reaching 148/6. Rahmanullah Gurbaz spearheaded the innings with a brilliant 60 runs off 49 balls that included four boundaries and four massive sixes. Afghanistan had a strong foundation thanks to Ibrahim Zadran’s help with a consistent 51 off 48 balls. Mohammad Nabi’s cameo of 10 from four balls helped Afghanistan produce a competitive score despite a late collapse that saw wickets fall one after another.
There were flashes of genius from Australia’s bowling attack, especially from Pat Cummins, who top-scored with 3/28. With two wickets for 28 runs, Adam Zampa was as successful. Their attempts, nevertheless, were insufficient to totally halt Afghanistan’s batting momentum.
With the ball, Gulbadin Naib emerged as Afghanistan’s hero.
Australia had a terrible start as they chased 149 to win. In the opening over, Naveen-ul-Haq removed Travis Head for a duck, establishing the pattern for Afghanistan’s supremacy. The Australian top order was frequently dismissed, making it difficult for them to establish a presence. With a brilliant innings of 59 off 41 balls that included six boundaries and three sixes, Glenn Maxwell stood as Australia’s lone warrior. However, the lack of significant help from the whole batting lineup meant that his efforts were in vain.
With the ball, Afghanistan’s hero was Gulbadin Naib. The Australian batting order was completely destroyed by his amazing 4/20 spell. Naveen-ul-Haq complemented Naib’s performance with a superb 3/20, while Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi chipped in with crucial wickets. Australia were eventually bowled out for 127 in 19.2 overs, falling 21 runs short of the target.
Naib’s match-winning performance earned him the Player of the Match award. The win has now injected fresh excitement into the Super Eights stage of the T20 World Cup, promising more riveting encounters as the tournament progresses.
Rashid Khan, the Winning Captain said
Massive win for us as a team and as a nation. Great feeling. It’s something we missed in last two years. Really happy with the win and super proud of the guys. Quite important for us that we went back with the same playing XI. We’re reading the opposition bowling lineup and selecting XI accordingly. 140 was a good total on this wicket. We didn’t finish as well as we should have.
Opening partnership gave us best start. On this wicket, anything 130-plus, we were capable of defending it as long as we kept calm and had the belief. That’s the beauty of this team, having allrounders and having options. The way Gulbadin bowled today – the experience he has, it came good today.
The way Nabi started – the wicket of Warner – was also pleasing to see. It’s so important for us back home and around the world. I’m sure they’re proud and would’ve enjoyed the game.
Mitchell Marsh, the Losing Captain said
They probably got 20 too many. Lot of teams have bowled first in this tournament. Don’t think it was won or lost at the toss. We had an off night on the field. Wasn’t the easiest of wickets but both teams played on it. As I said, we got outplayed today. We just need to win and there’s no better team to do it against.
Gulbadin Naib, Player of the Match said
We were waiting for a long time. Great moment for me, my nation, my people. Big achievement for our cricket. Thanks to our fans for supporting our cricket journey. We worked hard for the last 2 months, and the result is in front of you. The wicket wasn’t easy to bat on, the ball was too bouncy. I took two wickets early on, and carried that on later.
Thanks to Rashid for trusting me. This was a complete team effort. The way Naveen bowled, the way Gurbaz and Ibrahim batted. We beat Australia at last! It is a great achievement for Afghanistan cricket, our history isn’t too much so this is a great achievement.
We played great cricket in the last World Cup, and this year we beat New Zealand in the group stage. Our journey starts now. We have great management and I’m very fortunate to have this team. Every game is important, we will rest tomorrow and think about it.
India
