Captain Rashid Khan praised Afghanistan for their “massive” victory over heavyweights Australia in the T20 World Cup, saying such glorious moments had been missing in recent years and attributed the victory to the number of all-rounders at the team’s disposal . Afghanistan claimed a maiden 21-run victory over Australia in their must-win Super 8 clash to keep their hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive. “Great win for us as a team and as a nation. Great feeling. It’s something we’ve missed in the last two years. Very happy with the win and very proud of the boys,” Rashid said in the post-match presentation.
Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (60) and Ibrahim Zadran (51) scored half-centuries but Australia restricted them to a manageable 148 for 6.
However, all-rounder Gulabdin Naib produced his career-best figures of 4/20 to bowl out Australia for 127 in 19.2 overs.
“140 was a good total on this wicket. We didn’t finish as well as we should have.
“The opening partnership gave us the best start. On this wicket, at over 130, we were able to defend it as long as we stayed calm and had faith. That’s the beauty of this team, having versatile players and having options.” Praising Naib, Rashid said, “The way Gulbadin played today – the experience he has, was good today. The way Nabi started – Warner’s wicket – was also pleasing to see.
“It’s very important for us, at home and around the world. I’m sure they are proud and would have enjoyed the game.”
We finally beat Australia! Our journey begins now: Naib
Naib, named man of the match, said the victory was a long time coming and he hoped it would begin a new chapter for the team.
Afghanistan came agonizingly close to defeating Australia in the ODI World Cup last year, but a special performance from Glenn Maxwell denied them that joy.
“We have been waiting for a long time. Great moment for me, my nation, my people. Great achievement for our cricket. Thank you to our fans for supporting our cricket journey. We have worked hard for the last 2 months and the result is in front of you “, he said.
“We finally beat Australia! It is a big achievement for Afghanistan cricket, our history is not very big so this is a big achievement.
“We played great cricket in the last World Cup and this year we beat New Zealand in the group stage. Our journey starts now. We have great management and I am very lucky to have this team. Every game is important, let’s rest tomorrow and think about this.” Australian captain Mitchell Marsh said it was just a day off from the office.
“They probably shot 20 too many. A lot of teams bowled first in this tournament. Don’t think it was won or lost by the toss. We had a bad night on the field.
“It wasn’t the easiest wicket, but both teams played on it. Like I said, we were beaten today. We just need to win and there’s no better team to do that.”
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