Top 5 Matches of Afghanistan National Cricket Team Vs Australia T20 World Cup
Gulbadin Naib’s brilliant 4-for-20 spell gave Afghanistan an opportunity to shock Australia, providing them with an important moment to show their increasing strength. It was an inspiring victory that set back Australia in their tracks.
David Warner proved an unexpected threat as he skied Mohammad Nabi (1-1) straight to short fine leg, drawing Glenn Maxwell into bat and prompting some deja vu of their ODI battle earlier in 2017.
In this article, we will discuss the main points of Afghanistan National Cricket Team vs Australian Men’s Cricket Team Match Scorecard.
1. Zadran Khan’s century
Afghan team’s incredible World Cup upset of former champions Australia at St Vincent’s will live long in the memory of many. On Saturday evening, Afghan’s incredible comeback saw them triumph against odds to claim one of the biggest upsets ever in World Cup history.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran dominated Afghanistan’s opening exchanges on a challenging pitch, with Ibrahim Zadran reaching his second consecutive T20 century to guide Afghanistan to an impressive total of 147 runs. Together they shared an 118-run opening partnership against Australia – their highest ever against Australia in T20 cricket history.
Glenn Maxwell’s 59 off 41 balls threatened to turn the match around, but was soon dashed by an excellent catch at backward point by Noor Ahmad and was put out by Naveen-ul-Haq’s four wickets in two overs to put an end to any further Aussie resistance.
Pat Cummins then completed a breathtaking hat-trick in the final over, his first in an Australian T20 match and first by any fast bowler at the World Cup. In just four balls he struck again Karim Janat, Rashid Khan and Gulbadin Naib for three wickets to secure victory for Australia.
Australia’s defeat has put them in jeopardy of being kicked out of Group 1. They play India next week and can still qualify if they win by an impressive margin. Afghan’s victory marks a historic milestone: this was their first ever major tournament win against an established cricketing power, which is an achievement which cannot be taken for granted considering Afghanistan has experienced political upheaval since Taliban returned power in 2021 and remains marred by economic and security problems ever since; their national team has become an inspiration and source of hope to its people as they endure poverty, war and other intractable issues since 2021; their national team has become a symbol of hope and resilience amongst a nation plagued by poverty, war and other seemingly intractable issues;
2. Pat Cummins’ hat-trick
Afghanistan has made significant strides over time to become one of the world’s premier cricket teams, but their rise hasn’t come without controversy; human rights groups frequently criticize Taliban-led regressive treatment of women and children. Yet regardless, Afghanistan players remain determined to put on their best performances; their hard work was finally rewarded on Friday when they beat Australia at Arnos Vale Ground in Saint Kitts and Nevis for the very first time in history!
This victory provides a welcome respite for a team that had been shunned by some countries due to its support of Taliban regime. Afghans clapped and cheered on their heroes from parks, wedding venues and television shops across the country; many watched on portable screens while children and even Taliban soldiers joined in celebrating this successful outcome.
Pat Cummins played an instrumental role in Australia’s loss, recording two hat-tricks during this tournament – both against Bangladesh in Antigua, and again on Friday when he dismissed Karim Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan with the final ball of his 18th over, before dismissing Rashid Khan with the 20th over (David Warner miscued at deep midwicket) before sending back Rashid Khan with an 18th over delivery and dismissing Karim Janat with Gulbadin Naib out.
Australia’s batting was far from impressive, with only Travis Head and Mitch Marsh surpassing 12 runs each. Mohammad Nabi’s 59 was enough to keep them competitive but couldn’t keep pace with Afghan bowlers; their fielding performance was also far from stellar; Matthew Wade missed an excellent stumping chance off Zadran while Adam Zampa made several errors that saw one go to short fine leg instead of near short fine leg.
3. Naveen-ul-Haq’s four wickets
Naveen-ul-Haq, born a refugee and growing up in war zones, has since emerged as an indispensable member of Afghanistan’s fast-paced attack. At 23 years old, this bowler boasts an effective combination of pace and spin bowling which can play its way through every stage of a T20 match – taking four wickets against Australia to help Afghanistan claim their first ever win over them in the World T20 Cup tournament.
Arnos Vale Cricket Ground, known for hosting low-scoring thrillers according to modern T20 scoring standards, proved ideal for Afghan spinners; with plenty of bounce and turn for slow bowlers. Naveen took full advantage of this situation by bowling wicketless during Powerplay overs and then going on a rampage during middle overs against Australian opponents.
He dominated again in the final over, trapping Glenn Maxwell leg before for 59 to ignite wild celebrations within Afghanistan camp and exact some revenge against Australia following their previous humiliating ODI loss at Bristol.
Afghanistan are now in a strong position to qualify for the semifinals of the T20 World Cup and defeat Bangladesh before hoping India lose to New Zealand in their final match. To do this successfully.
Australia are unlikely to qualify for the semifinals despite winning all remaining matches, even if they beat India in their Super Eight clash and relying on other results for qualification into the top four. But Afghanistan’s historic win will have provided hope and resilience to an entire nation which has faced numerous difficulties over recent times.
4. Glenn Maxwell’s 59
Maxwell first won Australian hearts four-and-a-half years ago by producing an outstanding innings in Australia’s run chase against West Indies to secure entry to the T20 World Cup final. On Tuesday night at Kingstown, Maxwell once more displayed his skill by helping guide Australia to one of their greatest T20 victories ever recorded in history.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (60 off 49 balls) and Ibrahim Zadran put on an amazing opening partnership of 118 runs that marked an extraordinary turn in the match. Australia took their time picking up their first wicket, leading to frustration on field and poor shot selection from their batsmen.
Agar and Zampa struggled to control Afghan attack in middle overs, with only in the 15th over did Australia lose one top-order batsman to Noor Ahmad at backward point catching Marcus Stoinis off an edge off his bat’s toe. Noor Ahmad took an impressive catch by nodding off at backward point to remove Marcus Stoinis off strike by an outstanding catch from Noor.
Glenn Maxwell hit two clutch boundaries during the Powerplay and then hit a maximum to guide Australia to 70/3 before drinks, then brought up his 50 in 16 overs – but was stopped short by Gulbadin Naib in the penultimate over.
Australia had reached the brink of defeat before rallying under Mohammad Nabi (10 not out off four balls) and Karim Janat (16 off 13), only to need 41 off 35 overs with five overs left to play. At this point Maxwell attempted to play his shots, only for Naib to catch Maxwell’s attempted sweep brilliantly and the innings finished all out for 127 all out. With this result Australia’s hopes for reaching the semifinals have diminished considerably – they must either defeat India at Gros Islet or depend on other results and net run rate to make sure of making it.
5. Azmatullah Omarzai’s four wickets
Afghanistan sent shockwaves through cricket fans by winning their inaugural World Cup match over Australia for the first time ever, ending their unbeaten streak and giving Afghanistan an advantage in qualifying with India to the next round.
Afghanistan’s innings started well enough, with Zadran Khan and Rahmanullah Gurbaz making an excellent opening partnership of 38 runs before Gurbaz was caught at backward point off Josh Hazlewood for 27. Nevertheless, they kept up momentum by amassing 42 more runs in three overs; Ibrahim Zadran in particular showed plenty of class.
Glenn Maxwell looked poised to turn the tide against Afghanistan when he scored an unbeaten 59 off 41 balls – but his hopes were dashed by Noor Ahmad’s exquisite catch and throw. Noor’s catch effectively ended any hopes for Australian comeback; all out in 19.2 overs.
Afghanistan bowlers provided an unexpected challenge as they claimed four wickets for just nine runs over four overs, led by Azmatullah Omarzai’s pace which caused trouble to Australian batters with pinpoint accuracy.
Young Afghan cricketer Abdul Wahid Deen made his ODI debut against Ireland in January 2021 and quickly displayed his ability with both bat and ball. Now an integral member of Afghanistan’s squad, Deen shows great promise as an all-round performer who could become one of its future stars – something Afghanistan will need him to continue against South Africa and Sri Lanka in order to qualify for semi-finals of this year’s competition.
