Afghanistan delivered a dramatic eight-run victory against Bangladesh, officially knocking double world champions Australia out of the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup on Monday night.
The win, secured under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) Method at the Arnos Vale Cricket Ground in St Vincent, was orchestrated by captain Rashid Khan and new-ball bowler Naveen-ul-Haq.
Rashid Khan, the renowned leg-spinner, took four wickets for 23 runs from his allotted four overs. Naveen-ul-Haq supported brilliantly, taking four wickets for 26 runs from 3.5 overs. Bangladesh, set a revised target of 114 to win in 19 overs due to rain interruptions, fell short, failing to chase down the target.
The game concluded past midnight East Caribbean Time when Naveen bowled Taskin Ahmed for two and trapped Mustafizur Rahman lbw for a first-ball duck in the 18th over, extinguishing Bangladesh’s hopes of advancing or aiding Australia’s progression to the next stage.
As a result, Afghanistan will face South Africa in the first semi-final on Wednesday at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad. Meanwhile, India, who earlier defeated Australia by 24 runs in St Lucia, will play against title-holders England in the second semi-final on Thursday at the National Cricket Stadium in Guyana.
“It’s unbelievable, I don’t have any words to describe my feelings,” Khan remarked during the post-match news conference. “It’s a big achievement for us being in the semi-finals, and I think the cricket we have played in the whole tournament so far, I think we deserve to be in the semis.”
He continued, “The way everyone took the responsibility of getting into the game and performing best for the team. I don’t know how I can describe my feeling, but it’s a massive, massive achievement for us as a team and as a nation to be in the semis and now we are looking forward to the semis.”
Khan credited the influence of former West Indies captain Brian Lara for inspiring the team. “I think we have proved one person very right – and that was Brian Lara, the only person who mentioned Afghanistan to be in the top four. We told him that as well when we met him at the welcome party – we will make sure we prove that right as well.”
Litton Das carried his bat
He added, “I think when you get the kind of great, great statements from a legend, as a team, I think it gives you lots of energy as well. We are capable – but as long as we keep things very simple and I think in the whole competition so far, we have kept things simple. Yes, there were some tough times, but we didn’t let ourselves down, and we always try to come back stronger.”
Bangladesh’s chase was led by opener Litton Das, who carried his bat for a resolute, unbeaten 54 from 59 balls. Despite his efforts, no other batsman contributed significantly, and the changing DLS requirements ultimately dashed their hopes.
“We wanted to win the match,” Bangladesh captain Najmul Shanto Hossain said. “That was the initial plan. After the first innings when we saw 115 on the board, we had a plan that we could win in 12.1 overs – so that was the plan – but the batting group made a lot of poor decisions.”
Earlier in the match, Rahmanullah Gurbaz led Afghanistan with 43 off 55 balls after they won the toss and opted to bat. Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran shared a crucial 59-run partnership for the fourth wicket. The innings lost momentum after their stand ended in the 11th over, culminating in some drama in the final over when Rashid Khan threw his bat in frustration after his batting partner refused a second run.
