Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran set up a strong start for Afghanistan with an opening partnership of 118 runs. Gulbadin Naib led the team to a 21-run victory over Australia in St Vincent on Saturday, keeping Afghanistan’s hopes for the Twenty20 World Cup semi-finals alive.
Australia could have advanced to the last four with a win. However, even Pat Cummins’s second consecutive hat-trick did not prevent their first tournament loss.
Gurbaz and Zadran each scored half-centuries, bringing Afghanistan to 148-6. The Afghan bowlers held Australia to 127, capitalizing on the challenging Kingstown pitch. Naib took 4-20 and Naveen-ul-Haq 3-20, playing crucial roles in the victory.
Naib, named man of the match, expressed his gratitude and pride. He highlighted this win as a significant achievement for Afghanistan, marking a milestone in their cricket history.
India leads Group 1 with four points. Australia and Afghanistan follow with two each, while Bangladesh remains without points. Upcoming matches include India vs Australia in St Lucia and Afghanistan vs Bangladesh in St Vincent.
Australia’s captain, Mitchell Marsh, chose to field after winning the toss. Early in the game, it seemed Australia might suppress Afghanistan’s batters. However, the lack of early wickets allowed Gurbaz and Zadran to build their innings.
The pair’s effective batting pressured Australia, who also made several fielding errors. Gurbaz was eventually dismissed for 60 by Marcus Stoinis. Adam Zampa and Cummins quickly took crucial wickets, with Cummins achieving a historic double hat-trick in the T20 World Cup.
Marsh acknowledged Afghanistan’s superior performance, admitting his team was outplayed. Afghanistan immediately excelled with the ball, removing key Australian batters early. Despite Glenn Maxwell’s spirited 59 off 41 balls, his wicket virtually ended Australia’s challenge.
Naib credited his performance to lessons learned during the batting innings and praised his teammates for their support and momentum.
