T20 World Cup 2024: Afghanistan has stunned cricket experts by reaching the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2024 after defeating Bangladesh by 8 runs (DLS) in their Super 8 match on Tuesday, June 25, at the Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown, St Vincent. This victory knocked Australia, the 2021 champions, out of the tournament following their losses to India and Afghanistan. Despite rain interruptions in the second innings, Afghanistan kept their cool.
Finishing second in the table with 4 points and a net run rate of -0.267, Afghanistan secured two wins from three games. After a heavy 47-run loss to India, Rashid Khan’s team made a strong comeback. They will now play against Aiden Markram’s South Africa in the first semi-final on June 27 at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad.
Afghanistan chose to bat first but struggled, posting 115 for 5 in 20 overs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran added 59 runs for the first wicket but couldn't accelerate. Rishad Hossain dismissed Ibrahim, who scored a slow 18 from 29 balls. Gurbaz managed 43 runs with a strike rate of 78.18.
The middle-order batsmen, including Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, and Karim Janat, also struggled. Skipper Rashid Khan's unbeaten 19 off 10 balls, including three sixes, gave the innings some late momentum.
Bangladesh's chase was interrupted by rain, but with their score at 31 for 3 in 3.3 overs, they had a challenging target. Soumya Sarkar and Towhid Hridoy scored 10 and 14 runs respectively before falling to Rashid Khan. Despite Litton Das's fighting 54 not out from 49 balls, Bangladesh fell short, being bowled out for 105 in 17.5 overs, chasing a revised target of 114 in 19 overs.
Naveen-Ul-Haq Gets Emotional
Afghanistan's pacer Naveen-ul-Haq, named Player of the Match, expressed his emotions, saying, "We have worked so hard over the past few years and we were dreaming and working for this day. I'm lost for words. (On his spell) We always knew that they were going hard in the powerplay to chase the total down in 12.1 overs so we knew we were in the game as long as we kept picking wickets. We had confidence that these wickets are not high-scoring wickets. As long as we don't give easy runs we knew we would have a chance."
Afghanistan vs South Africa T20 WC 2024
Group 2 winners South Africa will play against Afghanistan in the first semi-final, while Group 1 leaders India will face England in the second semi-final. The South Africa vs. Afghanistan match will start at 8:30 PM local time on Wednesday, June 26, at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba. The India vs. England match will be at 10:30 AM local time on Thursday, June 27, at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.
