Afghanistan Achieves Historic Victory Over Australia with Exceptional All-Round Performanc
Afghanistan triumphed over Australia in one of the most remarkable cricket victories in the nation's history. Here's a breakdown of how it unfolded.
Afghanistan vs. Australia, Scorecard
Afghanistan continues to surprise the cricketing world, securing their first-ever win against powerhouse Australia. This victory ends Australia's unbeaten run at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, putting both teams in contention to join India in the next tournament phase.
Match Summary
Australian skipper Mitch Marsh won the toss and chose to field first, a decision that quickly came into question.
Cummins Creates History with Second Consecutive T20 World Cup Hat-Trick
Afghanistan's batsmen executed their plan with precision, navigating the Powerplay without losing a wicket. They scored 40/0 in the first six overs and continued their momentum, reaching 64/0 at the midpoint of the innings. The Afghan openers were patient and precise, balancing dot balls with boundaries.
Despite expectations that the pitch would favor spinners, Afghanistan attacked Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa in the middle overs. A particularly expensive 13th over from Zampa featured two boundaries, a close LBW call, and a missed stumping by Matthew Wade.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran both reached half-centuries, signaling trouble for Australia. Marcus Stoinis finally broke through, taking Gurbaz's wicket in the 16th over, which shifted the momentum. Zampa then struck twice in the next over, removing Zadran and another key batsman, and Pat Cummins capped the innings with a hat-trick, leaving Afghanistan at 148/6 after 20 overs.
Pat Cummins Secures Back-to-Back Hat-Tricks
Australia's fielding errors, including several dropped catches, proved costly. In their batting response, Afghanistan's bowlers, led by Naveen-ul-Haq, dismantled the Australian top order. Naveen bowled Travis Head with his third delivery and removed Marsh in his second over, leaving Australia reeling at 33/3 after six overs.
Glenn Maxwell provided brief hope with a few boundaries but the fall of David Warner left Australia struggling. By the midpoint of their innings, Australia was 70/3, still in line with Afghanistan's pace, but they quickly lost ground. Marcus Stoinis and Tim David fell cheaply, and Maxwell's half-century wasn't enough to save the team. Gulbadin Naib's outstanding fielding and bowling, including a spectacular catch and four wickets, sealed Australia's fate.
Afghanistan's disciplined fielding and bowling resulted in Australia being all out for 127, falling 22 runs short of their target. Naib's performance was historic, as he became the first player to take four wickets in both T20I and ODI World Cup matches.
Pat Cummins Reflects on His Second Consecutive Hat-Trick
This victory is one of Afghanistan's most famous, marking their first triumph over Australia. Afghanistan will face Bangladesh in their final Super Eight match, while Australia will take on India.
ICC Men's T20 World Cup, 2024 News and Highlights
- Afghanistan's first-ever win over Australia in a T20 World Cup.
- Pat Cummins makes history with back-to-back hat-tricks.
- Semi-final scenarios: Eight teams vying for four spots.
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