Historic day for Afghanistan cricket team and their fans! The Afghans defeated formidable Australia team by 21 runs in AUS vs AFG T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 match on Sunday (June 21) at Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown, St Vincent. The victory was crucial for Afghanistan as a loss would have resulted in their elimination from the tournament. Win over the Aussies keeps Afghanistan alive in race to T20 World Cup 2024 semifinal.
Notably, this is Afghanistan's first-ever win over Australia in an international cricket match. This defeat marks Australia's first loss against Afghanistan in their last six encounters in international cricket.
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Rahmanullah Gurbaz (60 runs off 49 balls) and Ibrahim Zadran who (51 off 48 balls) laid a solid foundation with a solid opening partnership of 118 runs, setting the stage for Afghanistan to reach a competitive total of 148, despite Pat Cummins's hat-trick.
Benefiting from favorable pitch conditions, Naveen-ul-Haq and Gulbadin Naib shone brightly for Afghanistan's bowling attack. They combined to claim seven wickets in total, with Naveen-ul-Haq taking 3 wickets for 20 runs and Gulbadin Naib grabbing 4 wickets for 20 runs. Ultimately, Australia were bowled out for 127 runs in 19.2 overs, handing an unforgettable victory to the Afghans.
Australia now face India in a MUST-WIN Super 8 match on Monday (June 24)
Australia's loss to Afghanistan now sets up a crucial scenario where their upcoming final Super 8 match against India on Monday (June 24) becomes a must-win game for them. Afghanistan will face Bangladesh later on the same day in another must-win match.
The T20 World Cup 2024 is proving to be among the most exciting editions in history. With four Super 8 matches remaining — ENG vs USA, SA vs WI, IND vs AUS, AFG vs BAN — the tournament is wide open. As no team has secured a semifinal berth yet, all four upcoming matches hold equal significance in determining the semifinalists.