Afghanistan 148 for 6 (Gurbaz 60, Ibrahim 51, Cummins 3-28, Zampa 2-28) beaten Australia 127 (Maxwell 59, Gulbadin 4-20, Naveen 3-20) by 21 points
With a semi-final place at stake, Australia’s top spot was wiped out by the Afghan seamers.
Naib used these conditions to his advantage to come away with career-best T20I figures of 4 for 20 to help bowl out Australia for 127. Introduced as the eighth bowler, Naib removed Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David and Pat Cummins to make the front page of Afghanistan. famous victory, their first against Australia in any format.
The opening act
Both openers made half-centuries, leaving Australia waiting until the 16th over for a breakthrough. Never have Australia had to wait this long for a wicket in T20Is.
Gurbaz and Ibrahim had bowled 21 runs in the first four overs in which they managed only 17. But in the next two overs, they more than doubled the score, ending the powerplay on 40 for 0.
Gurbaz then jumped out of his crease and pumped Adam Zampa for a straight six while Ibrahim created swing space and crunched Ashton Agar at cover point for four. Australia had chosen the left-arm finger, ahead of Mitchell Starc, to confront him against a heavy line-up of Afghan right-handers on a surface conducive to spin, but he remained wicketless (4-1-17-0).
Gurbaz and Ibrahim largely played percentage shots to counter the conditions and the Australian attack. Ibrahim could have been dismissed on the 11th if Zampa had not missed a difficult opportunity in the outfield; he ended up parrying it to the limit. Ibrahim was given another life on 32 when Stoinis bombed a return catch. Australia continued to be uncharacteristically sloppy on the field and Afghanistan capitalized on numerous missed opportunities.
The return
Cummins led Australia’s comeback by claiming his second hat-trick in three days. On Saturday at St. Vincent, he dismissed Rashid Khan, Karim Janat and Naib in the 18th and 20th overs. When he completed the feat against Bangladesh, Cummins said he had forgotten he was scoring a hat-trick, but on Saturday against Afghanistan he was aware of it, raising his hands in celebration before even before Maxwell caught the ball. Cummins might well have had four from four had David Warner not dropped Nangeyalia Kharote on the next ball. From 118 for 0 in the 16th over, Afghanistan finished with 148 for 6, and it was anyone’s game at the halfway point.
Naveen’s double strike
Hello again, Maxwell
Australia were 16 for 2 in three overs. Enter Maxwell. He got to work with two fours off Omarzai in three balls and then dropped left-arm rookie Kharote out of the attack. He first swept Kharote after slip for four and swept him powerfully over midwicket in a 13-run over. Kharote was done with the ball after just one over.
Maxwell also took calculated risks against Rashid and kept Australia in touch at the asking rate. When he reached his half-century with a six off Naib, the ghosts of Mumbai 2023 could have resurfaced for Afghanistan.
Gulbadin flexes his muscles
Naib, however, helped them exorcise the ghosts.
Australia were 94 for 5 in 13 overs, with Maxwell and finisher Wade in the middle. Naib had already removed Stoinis and David in his first two overs. Naib was not even part of Afghanistan’s Plan A. With the spinners full, especially against Maxwell, Rashid turned to Naib, who responded with two more wickets.
Naib doesn’t have a high pace, but he kept hitting the box and made the ball react differently. After stopping Maxwell in his third over, he flexed his muscles and let out an almighty roar that could have been heard in Kabul. The Afghan supporters present in Saint-Vincent shouted with their hero and waved the flags.
In his final over, Naib fooled Cummins with a slower cutter before Naveen and Omarzai sealed the deal for Afghanistan.
Deivarayan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
News Source : www.espncricinfo.com
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