Afghanistan has firmly shaken off their “minnows” label by pulling off a sensational 21-run victory over Australia in the T20 World Cup 2024. This historic win, powered by Gulbadin Naib’s four-wicket haul, overshadowed Australia skipper Pat Cummins’ hat-trick and marked one of the most memorable days in Afghan cricket history.
As fans and cricket pundits flooded social media with reactions to this major upset, Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq shared a cryptic post addressing critics and the lack of support his team faced during tougher times.
Naveen expressed his frustration on social media, criticizing the disparity between the support they receive now versus during their struggles. His post highlighted the resilience and perseverance of the Afghan team.
In defending their total of 148 for six, Afghanistan bowled out Australia for 127 in 19.2 overs, securing their first-ever win over Australia in international cricket. This loss puts Australia in a precarious position, requiring a victory against India on Monday and hoping for an Afghanistan defeat by Bangladesh to stay in the tournament.
Afghanistan’s innings was anchored by openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (60) and Ibrahim Zadran (51), who forged a formidable 118-run partnership. Despite Cummins’ second successive hat-trick spread across two overs, Afghanistan set a challenging total on a tricky wicket.
Reflecting on the victory, Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan said, “Massive win for us as a team and as a nation. Great feeling. It’s something we missed in the 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. The opening partnership gave us the best start. On this wicket, anything 130-plus, we were capable of defending it as long as we kept calm and had the belief.”
Rashid also praised the contributions of key players, “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.”
With this victory, Afghanistan remains in contention for the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-finals, giving their campaign a significant boost.