On Sunday, history was made in the T20 World Cup 2024 as Team Afghanistan stunned Australia by a margin of 21 runs in their Super 8 match held in Kingstown. The hosts were given the opportunity to bat first and despite an impressive 118-run partnership between their openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, they were restricted to 148/6.
Chasing a target of 149, Australia began with some early wickets but Glenn Maxwell’s remarkable performance brought them back into the game. Maxwell, who had denied Afghanistan a historic win during the ODI World Cup 2023, played a crucial role in guiding Australia towards another victory. However, Afghanistan bounced back and managed to bowl out Australia for just 127.
This marked Afghanistan’s first-ever win over Australia in six international matches and led to an outpour of congratulatory messages on social media for Rashid Khan and his team. In addition to Gurbaz and Zadran’s partnership, Afghanistan’s bowlers played a pivotal role in securing the victory. Pacer Gulbadin Naib stood out with his incredible four-wicket haul, while other bowlers such as Naveen-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Rashid Khan also contributed with crucial wickets.
With this stunning victory over Australia, Afghanistan has kept themselves alive in the semi-final race and will face Bangladesh in their final Super 8s clash on Tuesday. The team’s historic win over Australia has been hailed as a great achievement for Afghan cricket and marks a significant milestone on their cricketing journey.
