Afghanistan Beats Bangladesh to Reach T20 World Cup Semi-Finals
Kingstown [St. Vincent], June 25: Afghanistan qualified for the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2024 after defeating Bangladesh by eight runs in a thrilling match at the Arnos Vale Ground.
Match Highlights
Rashid Khan and Naveen-ul-Haq led the Afghan bowling attack, helping their team defend a target of 115 runs. The second inning was reduced to 19 overs due to rain, setting a revised target of 114 runs for Bangladesh.
Despite Litton Das’s unbeaten 54 runs, Bangladesh could not reach the target. Soumya Sarkar and Towhid Hridoy tried to support Das but struggled against the Afghan bowlers. Naveen-ul-Haq and Rashid Khan each took four wickets, with Fazalhaq Farooqi and Gulbadin Naib adding one wicket each.
Naveen-ul-Haq was named ‘Player of the Match’ for his outstanding performance.
First Inning Recap
Afghanistan, led by Rashid Khan, chose to bat first but faced difficulties in scoring. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran formed a 59-run partnership, but Bangladesh’s Rishad Hossain took three wickets, limiting Afghanistan to 115/5 in 20 overs. Rashid Khan contributed 19* runs, while Gurbaz scored 43 runs.
Score Summary
| Afghanistan | 115/5 |
|---|---|
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | 43 |
| Rashid Khan | 19* |
| Ibrahim Zadran | 18 |
| Bangladesh | 105 |
| Litton Das | 54* |
| Towhid Hridoy | 14 |
| Soumya Sarkar | 10 |
With this win, Afghanistan moves to the semi-finals, while Australia is out of the tournament.
