Posted on: June 26, 2024
T20 WC 2024 AFG vs BAN: Afghanistan recorded a historic win over Bangladesh in a thrilling match at the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2024, and advanced to their first-ever T20 World Cup semi-final. The match, which was held at the Arnos Vale Stadium in St Vincent, was interrupted by rain on several occasions, resulting in Bangladesh’s target being changed.
After setting a reasonable total score of 115 for 5 items, Afghanistan In the innings, they defended their score bravely on a challenging pitch. Captain Rashid Khan played a key role, taking four wickets for 23 runs to crush the Bangladesh batting line. Despite a powerful effort from Riton Das, who scored an unbeaten 54, Bangladesh fell short of the revised target of 114 in 19 overs, scoring only 105 runs before being dismissed in 17.5 overs.
The decisive moment came in the penultimate over when Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq took the last two wickets of Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman with successive deliveries. The breakthrough sealed Afghanistan’s victory and sparked celebrations in the Afghanistan team.
The win ensured Afghanistan would qualify for the semi-finals where they will face South Africa in Trinidad. The result also had implications for Australia and Bangladesh, as both teams failed to progress further in the tournament.
Meanwhile, India’s win over Australia in another crucial match for the rankings means they will face England in the second semi-final in Guyana. The result ensures Afghanistan will be the second team from Group 1 to reach the semi-finals, and sets up an exciting clash with South Africa.
Captain Rashid Khan Afghanistan: It was a dream come true for the team to get to the semi-finals. The way we started the tournament. After beating New Zealand, we had faith. It was unbelievable. There are no words to describe my feelings. Back home, everyone is happy about this great achievement. The only player who got us to the semi-finals was Brian Lara and we proved him right. At the welcome party, before the competition started, I said to him, ‘We won’t let you down. We will go all the way and prove you right.’ I am proud of this team. We thought 130-135 was a good total for this wicket. We were 15-20 runs short. It was all about the mindset. We knew they would chase it in 12 overs to get to the semi-finals. That’s where we got the advantage. If we had bowled to the stumps, we would have had a better chance of getting them out. We didn’t have to do anything extra. We had to be clear about the plan. We tried and it was in our hands. Rain, the result is not in our hands. 100% effort is always in our hands. Everyone has done a great job. In T20, we have a strong foundation especially in bowling. The quality of fast bowling we have is not fast but it is more skillful. In T20, if you have the skills, it is more effective. They have had a good start in this World Cup so far and it has been easy in the middle where we (spinners) can attack the batsmen hard. I am very happy with the way they have performed. They have been very clear in their mind and that is very pleasing. It has been raining and stopping but mentally they have always been there. We had to play 20 overs and take 10 wickets. That is the only way to get to the semi-finals and there is no other way. I think Gulbadin had cramps. I hope he is okay. The wicket he took was huge for us. Now it is a huge celebration at home. It is a big achievement for us. We did that when we reached the semi-finals at the Under-19 level. But this World Cup… I don’t know how to express it. The country will be very proud. I am very happy with the way we have performed as a team. We took responsibility. It was a big deal to get to the semifinals, and now we have to go in with a clear mind. We have to keep things simple and enjoy the big event.
Nazmul Hossein Shanto, Bangladesh captain: I think we bowled really well and did a lot of good things, but as a batting unit we made some poor decisions, especially in the middle overs, and that cost us a lot today. The plan was to work hard in the first six overs and bat normally after losing early wickets, but that did not happen and the middle order could not be executed. In the entire tournament we bowled, both the pacers and spinners did really well, especially Rishad, and the fast bowlers also did really well. And they did well as a defensive team. Our batting needs to improve, but our top order hasn’t performed well. Getting your balls wet can be a good thing. Like I said, we weren’t very good with the bat and made a lot of bad decisions.
