T20 World Cup 2024: Australia vs Afghanistan, 48th Match - Who Said What?

In a captivating contest at Kingstown, St Vincent, Afghanistan triumphed over Australia by 21 runs in the Super Eights, Group One match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. The victory not only highlighted Afghanistan's cricketing prowess but also added a thrilling chapter to the tournament.

Afghanistan, batting first, set a challenging target by scoring 148/6 in their 20 overs. The innings was anchored by Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who played a scintillating knock of 60 runs off 49 balls, featuring four boundaries and four towering sixes. Ibrahim Zadran provided support with a steady 51 off 48 balls, ensuring Afghanistan had a solid foundation. Despite a late collapse, with wickets tumbling in quick succession, Mohammad Nabi's cameo of 10 off four balls helped Afghanistan post a competitive total.

Australia's bowling attack had moments of brilliance, particularly Pat Cummins, who led the charge with figures of 3/28. Adam Zampa was also effective, picking up two wickets for 28 runs. However, their efforts were not enough to completely stifle Afghanistan's batting momentum.

Gulbadin Naib became the hero for Afghanistan with the ball

Chasing 149 for victory, Australia got off to a disastrous start. Naveen-ul-Haq struck early, removing Travis Head for a duck in the first over, setting the tone for Afghanistan's dominance. The Australian top order struggled to gain a foothold, losing wickets at regular intervals. Glenn Maxwell stood as the lone warrior for Australia, playing a blistering innings of 59 off 41 balls, laced with six boundaries and three sixes. Yet, his efforts were in vain as the rest of the batting line-up failed to provide substantial support.

Gulbadin Naib was the hero for Afghanistan with the ball. His extraordinary spell of 4/20 dismantled the Australian batting order. Naveen-ul-Haq complemented Naib's performance with a superb 3/20, while Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi chipped in with crucial wickets. Australia were eventually bowled out for 127 in 19.2 overs, falling 21 runs short of the target.

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Naib's match-winning performance earned him the Player of the Match award. The win has now injected fresh excitement into the Super Eights stage of the T20 World Cup, promising more riveting encounters as the tournament progresses.

Rashid Khan, the Winning Captain said

Massive win for us as a team and as a nation. Great feeling. It's something we missed in last two years. Really happy with the win and super proud of the guys. Quite important for us that we went back with the same playing XI. We're reading the opposition bowling lineup and selecting XI accordingly. 140 was a good total on this wicket. We didn't finish as well as we should have. Opening partnership gave us best start. On this wicket, anything 130-plus, we were capable of defending it as long as we kept calm and had the belief. That's the beauty of this team, having allrounders and having options. The way Gulbadin bowled today - the experience he has, it came good today. The way Nabi started - the wicket of Warner - was also pleasing to see. It's so important for us back home and around the world. I'm sure they're proud and would've enjoyed the game.

Mitchell Marsh, the Losing Captain said

They probably got 20 too many. Lot of teams have bowled first in this tournament. Don't think it was won or lost at the toss. We had an off night on the field. Wasn't the easiest of wickets but both teams played on it. As I said, we got outplayed today. We just need to win and there's no better team to do it against.

Gulbadin Naib, Player of the Match said

We were waiting for a long time. Great moment for me, my nation, my people. Big achievement for our cricket. Thanks to our fans for supporting our cricket journey. We worked hard for the last 2 months, and the result is in front of you. The wicket wasn’t easy to bat on, the ball was too bouncy. I took two wickets early on, and carried that on later. Thanks to Rashid for trusting me. This was a complete team effort. The way Naveen bowled, the way Gurbaz and Ibrahim batted. We beat Australia at last! It is a great achievement for Afghanistan cricket, our history isn’t too much so this is a great achievement. We played great cricket in the last World Cup, and this year we beat New Zealand in the group stage. Our journey starts now. We have great management and I’m very fortunate to have this team. Every game is important, we will rest tomorrow and think about it.