Twitter Reactions: Gulbadin Naib leads Afghanistan to historic win against Australia in St Vincent

Afghanistan and Australia continued their ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 campaign by facing off at the Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown, St. Vincent, in game 48 on Sunday, June 23. The Super Eights clash began with Afghanistan coming in to bat first after losing the toss. 

The side got off to a great start as openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran scored 60 and 51 runs, respectively. After the heroics of the openers, the remaining batters could not follow up and were dismissed cheaply. Azmatullah Omarzai scored two runs, with Karim Janat adding 13 runs on the board. 

Furthermore, skipper Rashid Khan failed to make an impact after his cheap dismissal for just two runs. Mohammad Nabi stayed unbeaten on a score of 10 runs as Afghanistan posted a total of 148 runs in the first innings. 

As for Australia, Pat Cummins was the highest wicket-taker for the side, with three wickets to his name. This was the second straight game for Cummins where he took a hat-trick and scripted history. Adam Zampa took two wickets as well, with Marcus Stoinis striking once. 

Exceptional bowling propels Afghanistan over the line

Aiming to chase down the target of 149 runs, Australia got off to a horrid start as in-form batters Travis Head and David Warner were dismissed for a duck and three runs, respectively. Things went from bad to worse after skipper Mitchell Marsh was sent packing for just 12 runs. 

However, ace all-rounder Glenn Maxwell gave Afghanistan a scary reminder of just what he is capable of. Playing a resilient knock, Maxwell scored 59 runs in 41 deliveries, but Gulbadin Naib provided the breakthrough, dismissing Maxwell and bringing Australia back into the game. 

Matthew Wade was dismissed for five runs, with Pat Cummins scoring three. It was a day to remember for Afghanistan. Naib was the star of the show, taking four wickets. Naveen-ul-Haq took three wickets as well, with Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, and Rashid Khan taking one each as Australia were bundled out for 127 and Afghanistan won the game by 21 runs.

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