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Afghanistan made history today by qualifying for the semifinals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. This is the first time they have qualified for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup. Today, the Afghans defeated Bangladesh in a thrilling last Super Eight stage match at Arnos Vale Stadium in St. Vincent.
The Afghans and Indians together eliminated Australia. Australia lost to Afghanistan and India in their Super Eight stage matches. Today’s match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh decided Australia’s elimination. To qualify for the semis, the Aussies needed Bangladesh to win, but they were no match for the Afghans. With this win, the Afghans eliminated Australia from the tournament.
Afghanistan Wins A Thriller
Afghanistan wins the toss and decides to bat first. Their decision was tested as they managed only 115 runs with 5 wickets in 20 overs. Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz had the highest score with 43 in 55 balls. Only 2 other players managed to score two-digit runs. They were Ibrahim Zadran (18), Azmatullah Omarzai (10), and Adil Rashid (10). Bangladesh bowlers bowled well. Rishad Hossain was the best performer, with figures of 3 for 26 in 4 overs.
Bangladesh had an easy target of just 115 in 120 balls. But Afghan bowlers made sure to fight until the end. Litton Das was the highest scorer, with 54 not out in 49 balls. Das got a lifeline on an LBW appeal, and Afghanistan went to the third umpire. As a result of the third umpire’s call decision, Das survives. Besides Das, only Soumya Sarkar (10) and Towhid Hridoy (14) made double-digit scores. That’s how good Afghan bowlers were today.
Rain stopped the play several times in Bangladesh’s inning. As a result, the play was reduced to 19 overs. Star spinner and captain Rashid Khan and Naaveen ul-Haq were the top performers in bowling. Rashid took 4 wickets for 23 runs in 4 overs, and Naveen took 4 wickets for 26 runs in 3.5 overs. Bangladesh kept losing wickets at intervals and could not recover. Here is the full scoreboard for the match.
They had 2 wickets in hand and needed 12 runs in the last 2 overs. Naveen bowled the 18th over and took 2 wickets to win the match for Afghanistan. Bangladesh were all out on 105 in 17.5 overs and lost the match by 8 runs (DLS method).
Afghans Qualify The Semifinal For The First Time
With today’s dramatic win, Afghanistan has booked a semifinal spot in the T20 World Cup 2024. This is a historic feat for Afghanistan cricket, as this is the first time they have qualified for the semifinal of a World Cup. They have made their country happy and proud with their performance. Now, Afghanistan will face South Africa in the semifinals on June 27.
Skipper Rashid Khan broke down in tears after they defeated Bangladesh to reach the semifinals of the T20 World Cup for the first time in history. The skipper said, “It’s something of a dream for us as a team. It’s all about the way we have started the tournament, the belief came when we beat New Zealand. It’s unbelievable, I don’t have words to describe my feelings.”