[Watch] Thunderous celebrations ring in after Afghanistan's historic victory against Australia in 2024 T20 World Cup
Afghanistan scripted history at the 2024 T20 World Cup by registering their first-ever victory against Australia in international cricket. Courtesy of the win, the Afghan side opened their account in the points table in Super 8 and kept their semi-final hopes alive.
Australia captain Mitchell Marsh won the toss and opted to bowl first on a two-paced surface with variable bounce. Afghan openers Ibrahim Zadran (51) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (60) put on a 118-run partnership for the first wicket and steered their side to a decent first-innings total of 148/6. Pat Cummins (3/28) and Adam Zampa (2/28) were the chief wicket-takers for the Aussie team.
In reply, Australian batters struggled miserably in bowling-friendly conditions and got all-out for 127 in 19.2 overs, losing the match by 21 runs. Gulbadin Naib (4/20) and Naveen-ul-Haq (3/20) stole the show with the ball for the Afghan team with sensational spells.
Afghanistan players and the support staff were ecstatic after the final wicket fell in the 20th over. They celebrated jubilantly with each other on the field as it was their first triumph against the mighty Australian team.
You can watch the celebrations of Afghanistan players in the video below:
"I don't think this comes in as a surprise" - Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan after beating Australia for the first time in international cricket
At the post-match presentation, Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan shed light on the hard work put in by his team and felt that the victory against Australia was not surprising. Reflecting on the memorable win, Khan said:
"I don't think this comes in as a surprise. We've done a lot of work to improve and get to this stage, so I'm not surprised with this win. Going by the conditions, and more so the composition of the opposition, we pick our teams. Against India as well, we went with the team best suited but fell short."
He added:
"Today, we stuck to the team that won us matches earlier on. And it paid dividends. It definitely wasn't an easy wicket to bat on, we struggled towards the end, but it was all about doing the job earlier on in the piece.
"This win should give the fans all around the world and back home, a lot of joy. We now give ourselves every opportunity of qualifying for the semi-finals. It's going to be a massive match, our last one!"
Afghanistan will next face Bangladesh at the same venue on June 25. They have to win this game to stake a claim for the semi-finals.