Mohammed Nabi Leads Afghanistan to Historic Win Over Australia in T20 World Cup

Kingstown [Saint Vincent], June 23: Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammed Nabi celebrated his 400th T20I game with a memorable victory over Australia in the ICC T20 World Cup Super Eights clash. This win puts Australia’s chances of reaching the semifinals in jeopardy while boosting Afghanistan’s own chances.

Match Highlights

Australia won the toss and chose to bowl first. Afghanistan got off to a strong start with an 118-run partnership between Rahmanullah Gurbaz (60) and Ibrahim Zadran (51). Despite tight bowling from Australia, including a hat trick by Pat Cummins and a fine spell from Adam Zampa, Afghanistan posted 148/6 in 20 overs.

During the run-chase, Australia was reduced to 32/3, thanks to a fine spell by Naveen ul Haq. Glenn Maxwell tried to steady the innings with 59 runs, but Gulbadin Naib’s crucial wickets helped Afghanistan bowl out Australia for 127 runs in 19.2 overs, securing a 21-run win.

Nabi’s Career Milestone

Nabi, one of Afghanistan’s greatest cricket superstars, has scored 5,866 runs and taken 350 wickets in his 400 T20I games. He has been part of the Afghanistan team since 2009, contributing to victories over many countries, including Test-playing nations.

Looking Ahead

With this win, Afghanistan sits at number three in their group, while Australia is at number two. Both teams have two points each. If India wins their final Super Eights game against Australia and Afghanistan beats Bangladesh, Australia could be eliminated from the T20 World Cup.

Gulbadin Naib was named ‘Player of the Match’ for his match-winning spell, which included the wickets of Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, and Pat Cummins.