In their final Super Eight match on Tuesday, Afghanistan defeated Bangladesh by eight runs (DLS), and reached semi-finals of ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Australia was eliminated from the tournament as India and Afghanistan qualified to the super stages from Group 1.
Bangladesh also had a chance to qualify or send Australia through with a win but Afghans restricted them to 105 all out which ensured they will play their first ever world cup semi final against South Africa on Thursday in Trinidad.
Skipper Rashid Khan took 4-23 while Naveen-ul-Haq bowled quite well earning figures of 4-26 that sealed the victory for Afghanistan. This was after the Afghans hopes were initially dampened when they could only manage a modest total of 115/5 batting first.
The last few overs were very intense. The DLS calculations kept fluctuating as wickets and boundaries came in quick succession.
Naveen-ul-Haq ended the contest in penultimate over by bowling Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed off consecutive balls before his teammates went delirious.
Earlier, electing to bat first, Afghanistan scored just 66 dot balls during their innings. In the eleventh over, Rishad Hossain broke an opening partnership worth 59 runs between Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz before dismissing Gurbaz for 43 and Ibrahim for 18 in his third over. From being at 84 for one to 93 for five inside 11 balls saw an implosion of Afghan innings from there on.
Rashid Khan hit three sixes in his 10 ball 19; he even threw his bat down the pitch towards Karim Janat after being refused a second run by Janat in the final over because he desperately wanted to score more runs.
A brief rain interruption meant that Bangladesh had to complete their innings in 12.1 overs at least.
Fazalhaq Farooqi dismissed Tanzid Hasan lbw in the second over with his left-arm medium pace. Naveen-ul-Haq then sent back Shakib Al Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto off successive deliveries before another shower stopped play at 31-3.
By end of the powerplay, Litton Das and Soumya Sarkar had moved the score on to 46 for three. Fourth ball of Rashid Khan’s fourth delivery saw him bowl Soumya Sarkar for 10.
Rashid later accounted for Towhid Hridoy (14), captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, and Rishad Hossain getting them out for a total of 80/7. He took two wickets in as many balls just before another rain delay occurred.
Bangladesh’s target was revised down to 114 from a maximum of 19 overs after the break but effectively their chance of making it into the semis ended there. Despite all these dramas opener Liton Das stood firm, while his partners kept falling around him and he remained unbeaten on fifty four at the end.
Earlier in St Lucia, India beat Australia by 24 runs thus setting up an encounter with defending champions England in Guyana on Thursday.
