Afghanistan, on Sunday (June 23), sent shockwaves across the cricket world by beating Australia in the 48th match of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup.
While Afghanistan have been doing well of late, not many expected them to beat the reigning ODI and Test world champions. However, the Rashid Khan-led team went on to create history by leading Afghanistan to their first victory over Australia in any format. The Asian team thrashed their fancied opponents by 21 runs to keep their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals alive.
Asked to bat first, Afghanistan rode the fifties of their openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran to post a challenging total of 148 for 6. In reply, Australia were bowled out for 127 runs. Although Glenn Maxwell scored a fifty, Afghanistan managed to avoid a repeat of the 2023 World Cup as the all-rounder scored a sensational double century to snatch victory for his team from the jaws of defeat.
While Afghanistan’s historic victory over Australia has surprised many, Tom Moody is definitely not one of them. The former Australia cricketer has said it was only a matter of time before Afghanistan defeated any major team. Moody also described Afghanistan’s record in the game so far as extraordinary.
“If you look at Afghanistan first and where they come from and how they’ve grown as a cricket nation in recent years, it’s a pretty extraordinary upward curve. How they’re competing against all the teams. It’s a matter of time until they take down some of the biggest teams.” tall teams and Australia is one of them,” Tom Moody told ESPNcricinfo.
It was only a matter of time before Afghanistan toppled Australia. @TomMoodyCricket #AFGvAUS | #T20WorldCup | #Time is over pic.twitter.com/8WcGjwZYOF
-ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 23, 2024
Australia, Afghanistan and India fight for a place in the semi-finals:
Afghanistan’s victory over Australia opened Group 1 and now three teams are competing for the two semi-final spots. Bangladesh’s chances are all but over after losing their first two Super 8 matches, while India, Afghanistan and Australia remain in contention.
India are currently in the driving seat after winning their first two games and look set to reach the semi-final even if they lose their last game against Australia. On the contrary, Australia and Afghanistan fight for second place. If both teams manage to win their final Super 8 match, their fate will be decided by the net run rate.
