Afghanistan shocked Australia with an historic 21-run victory in St Vincent, keeping their T20 World Cup hopes alive. Faced with elimination, Afghanistan posted 148-6 on a challenging surface, thanks to a superb 118-run opening stand between Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran.
Afghanistan quickly reduced Australia to 32-3 during the chase, but Glenn Maxwell’s 35-ball half-century helped recover the situation for the 2021 champions. However, Gulbadin Naib’s crucial wickets of Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, and Maxwell triggered an Australian collapse from 106-6 to 113-9, sealing Afghanistan’s first win over Australia in any form of cricket.
“We’ve been waiting for a long time, it’s a great moment for me, my nation, my people,” said Gulbadin, the player of the match.
Pat Cummins earlier took his second hat-trick in as many games, becoming the first player to achieve the feat in T20 internationals. Despite Australia’s fightback with the ball, Afghanistan’s total proved insurmountable.
Rashid Khan, the Afghanistan captain, expressed pride in the victory, stating, “It’s a massive win for us as a team and as a nation. In a World Cup, to beat champions is a great feeling and it is something we have missed. It’s just the beginning for us and we have every chance of making the semis.”
Afghanistan is now firmly in contention for a semi-final spot and will face Bangladesh in their last Super 8s game on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Australia, who face India in St Lucia on Monday, will likely need a win to progress to the last four.
