Australia have suffered a shock 21-run loss to Afghanistan that throws their semi-final hopes into jeopardy on the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Mitch Marsh’s aspect had been left to rue dropping 5 catches within the subject on Sunday after which falling to 32-3 within the powerplay on a troublesome St Vincent wicket. Chasing 149, Australia had been all out for 127 with 4 balls remaining within the final over.
The 2021 champions’ first-ever loss to Afghanistan got here after openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (60 off 49 balls) and Ibrahim Zadran (51 off 48) defied a fiendish pitch for a 118-run stand – the biggest opening partnership ever recorded in opposition to Australia in T20s.
Along with his second hat-trick in as many video games, Pat Cummins (3-28) helped Australia claw again momentum. Karim Janat (13), Rashid Khan (2) and Gulbadin Naib (0) had been all eliminated by the in-form fast bowler, as Afghanistan had been restricted to 148-6.
Glenn Maxwell (59 off 41) performed himself again into kind with the bat and threatened to reprise his position as Afghanistan’s bogeyman, following a double-century on the 50-over World Cup final yr. However Afghanistan might scent victory when the all-rounder clipped player-of-the-match Naib (4-20) to backward level, the place Noor Ahmad took a troublesome likelihood within the fifteenth over.
The loss means Australia might must depend on web run-rate to make the ultimate 4 even when they’re able to beat India of their final Tremendous Eight sport, beginning at 12.30am AEST on Tuesday.
“It turns into actually clear now, we simply must win,” Marsh stated forward of the crunch conflict with India, who’ve received their first two video games within the group. “There’s no higher group to do it in opposition to, one of many greatest challenges in world cricket.
“We’ll stay constructive, we had an off-night tonight, absolute full credit score to Afghanistan, I assumed they had been good. We transfer on fairly rapidly.”
Afghanistan’s historic victory retains their very own hopes of a fairytale semi-final berth alive earlier than their third Tremendous Eight match in opposition to Bangladesh.
“It’s a large win for us as a group and as a nation, within the World Cup, beating champions, it’s an ideal feeling,” Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan stated. “I’m tremendous pleased with the blokes.”
“Tonight, due to the happiness I received’t have the ability to sleep,” Khan added. “That’s how completely happy the entire group is and the entire nation is. It’s a large win for us, as a group, as a nation.
“Cricket is the one supply of happiness again dwelling, everyone knows that. And I really feel like we’re so fortunate to be right here giving happiness to the individuals again dwelling.”
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After profitable the toss, Australia dropped 5 probabilities within the subject, the primary two coming in the course of the blistering opening stand. As Gurbaz and Zadran wreaked havoc, Matthew Wade missed a simple alternative for a stumping and Australia twice leaked fours following misfields from Ashton Agar after he was known as into the XI for Mitchell Starc.
After dropping an earlier likelihood, Marcus Stoinis (1-19) had a long-overdue breakthrough when Gurbaz picked out David Warner at deep backward sq. leg. When that scalp finally got here – within the sixteenth over – it was the longest Australia had gone in a T20 worldwide with out taking a wicket.
Australia’s finest two frontline bowlers this event, Adam Zampa (2-28) and Cummins, ensured Afghanistan’s batting order by no means clicked again into gear as soon as the opening partnership was damaged.
Cummins turned the primary participant to take hat-tricks in consecutive T20 video games when Gulbadin (0) pulled him to Maxwell at deep midwicket within the last over. The Australia fast then might have had one other scalp off the subsequent ball had the normally dependable Warner held onto Nangeyalia Kharote at deep level.
Naveen-ul-Haq (3-20) vindicated the choice to start out Afghanistan’s innings with tempo, swinging the ball into Travis Head’s center stump with the third supply of the innings. The losses of Head (0) and Mitch Marsh (12) inside three overs raised the alarm, and Australia had been formally in panic mode when their opponents injected spin for the primary time.
David Warner (three) skied Mohammad Nabi (1-1) to brief positive leg on the off-spinner’s first supply and set the stage for Maxwell to hang-out Afghanistan once more. However when the all-rounder’s gutsy knock got here to an finish, Australia had been all the way down to their bowlers and limping to the end at 106-6.
With Australia requiring 24 runs from the ultimate over, Azmatullah Omarzai sealed victory when Zampa hit him to Nabi at lengthy on with 4 balls remaining.