Some of the significant events that took place in the year in which the Afghanistan Cricket team register a great victory against Australia to make it to the semi-finals in the ICC T20 World Cup. Since this was a closely contested match, this analysis focuses on three important facets – batting, bowling, and captaincy, that went in Afghanistan’s favour mixed with some performative brilliance and strategic acumen in the final over to win the match.
Dominant Batting Display
Penetrative Bowling Attack
House and Sami, the Afghan bowlers, played their roles to perfection as they never allowed the Australians to get into their comfort zone. With spinner Gulbadin Naib, the star performer bowler, the team received a brilliant set by scoring 4 wickets for 4 overs bowled. Owing to his accurate line and ability to switch between regular and supplementary, he unsettled the Australian batsmen, restricting scoring and preventing valuable associative partnerships. Naveen Ul Haq also delivered well and took 3 wickets, kept things tight during the middle overs as well. This bowing discipline ensured on-stringer of 127 for Australia’s batting team, thus creating suspense for the final finish.
Inspired Captaincy and Tactical Brilliance
Rashid Khan Afghan was once again visible during Afghanistan victory, especially, during run chase which was a bit nervous. During the field placements and bowling changes sessions, he was able to peg the Australians down and denied them the space to compose themselves. Cricket Experts praised Rashid Khan’s captaincy especially how he rotated his bowlers and put up aggressive fields which caused Australia’s batsmen’s Power play big trouble. Ultimately, his captaincy and cool head in the pressure moments were crucial in enabling Afghanistan to add further sweetener to the cake with a memorable victory over a big team.
Also Read – AFG VS AUS: Rising from Ashes, A Perfect Revenge By Afghanistan Over Australia