‘We had an off night’ - Mitchell Marsh reflects on Australia’s shock defeat against Afghanistan
"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," Marsh said.
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Afghanistan pulled off a marvellous victory against the mighty Australia in the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup 2024. Both sides faced off in the 48th game of the tournament at the Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown, St. Vincent, on Sunday, June 23.
Batting first, Afghanistan posted a total of 148 runs on the board in the first innings after sensational performances by Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran. Furthermore, as Afghanistan stepped up to defend the total, the spell of Gulbadin Naib had the Aussies shaken.
Naib took four wickets, whereas Naveen-ul-Haq took three wickets, as Afghanistan limited Australia to a total of 127, winning the game by 21 runs. After the game, Australian skipper Mitchell Marsh came forward to give his take on his side’s performance.
"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," Marsh said at the post-match presentation.
Great moment for me, my nation, my people: Gulbadin Naib
The star of the game, Gulbadin Naib, won the Player of the Match award for his game-winning spell against Australia. Bowling four overs, Naib conceded 20 runs and took four brilliant wickets, ensuring a historic win for his side. He opined that Afghanistan was only able to win due to the hard work that they have been putting in.
"We were waiting for a long time. Great moment for me, my nation, and my people. Big achievement for our cricket. Thanks to our fans for supporting our cricket journey. We worked hard for the last two months, and the result is in front of you," Naib said.
"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," he added.
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