Afghanistan’s Gulbadin Naib is celebrating after leading his team to a 21-run victory over Australia in the T20 World Cup Super Eights match on Saturday. Naib played a crucial role in securing Afghanistan’s first-ever win against Australia in a senior international match with his impressive bowling performance of four for 20.
Chasing a target of 149, Glenn Maxwell’s valiant innings of 59 off 41 balls initially put Australia in a strong position. However, Naib’s crucial wickets, including that of Maxwell in the 15th over, turned the tide in Afghanistan’s favor. Despite Pat Cummins taking a hat-trick for the second consecutive match, Afghanistan managed to post a total of 148 for six after being put in to bat.
Following this result, both teams are tied on two points after two games in the Super Eights stage. Australia will face Group One leaders India in their final match, while Afghanistan will take on Bangladesh, who have suffered defeats in both of their Super Eights games. The competition for semi-final spots remains wide open as the teams gear up for the final two fixtures in the group on Monday.
