Afghanistan’s cricket team reached its first-ever semi-final in the T20 World Cup by defeating Bangladesh by eight runs on Monday at Arnos Vale Stadium in the West Indies.
Bangladesh, chasing a modest target of 116 set by Afghanistan, were all out for 105 runs in the 18th over amid challenging rain-affected conditions. Despite the Duckworth Lewis System (DLS) offering Bangladesh a revised target to advance, Afghanistan’s bowlers secured the win for their team.
This victory positions Afghanistan alongside India as the qualifiers from Group 1, eliminating Australia from the tournament. Rashid Khan, the Afghan skipper, and Naveen-ul-Haq led the defence with impressive figures of 4-23 and 4-26, respectively.
Afghanistan will face South Africa in the first semi-final on June 27 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad. Concurrently, India will compete against England in the second semi-final at the Guyana National Stadium.
Afghanistan had scored 115 runs earlier in the day after opting to bat first. Rishad Hossain was notably effective for Bangladesh, claiming three wickets for 26 runs, including key players such as Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, and Gulbadin Naib. Gurbaz was Afghanistan’s leading scorer, contributing 43 runs off 55 balls.
