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Rashid Khan-led Afghanistan cricket team defeated Mitchell Marsh's Australia by 21 runs in match 48 of the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Arnos Vale Ground in St Vincent, on June 23 (Sunday). All-rounder Gulbadin Naib was the hero of this historic win for the Afghan Lions. His astonishing four-fer led to Australia's batting collapse.
Gulbadin Naib speaks on beating Australia
This was the first time Afghanistan have managed to get better of Australia, they came close during the ODI World Cup 2023 but Glenn Maxwell's double hundred turned the tables on them. Now months later, the Afghan Lions were able to avenge their loss and also revive their campaign for the semi-finals. The T20 World Cup 2024 has been monumental for Afghanistan as they not only qualified for the Super 8 stage but also defeated teams like New Zealand and Australia. Now they also have the chance to qualify for the semis. Reflecting upon this Gulbadin Naib said this is just the start of their journey.
“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,” said Gulbadin Naib said in the post-match presentation.
“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,” he added.
Afghanistan beat Australia
Afghanistan batting first scored 148/6 in 20 overs. This seemed to be a low score in the beginning as Afghan openers were able to join a century stand but constant wickets in the death overs restricted them to a low score. However, even this turned out to be enough as Australia's batting collapsed in front of Afghan bowlers. Maxwell once again tried to fight back and scored a valiant fifty but it was just not enough. Now Afghanistan will face Bangladesh in their next match and another win here can open the gates for the next round for Afghanistan. On the other hand, the Aussies will be facing India in their next match and a loss against the Men in Blue can end their journey in the T20 World Cup 2024.
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