Gulbuddin Naib was Afghanistan’s golden bowler as he guided them to a surprise 21-run victory over previously unbeaten Australia in the Group 1 Super Eights match of the T20 World Cup at the Arnos Vale Stadium on Saturday.
With a target of 149, Glenn Maxwell (59 off 41 balls, six fours and three sixes) was guiding the Test and one-day champions well until his third wicket for Gulbadin in the 15th over, paving the way for the final two group matches on Monday with a semi-final spot in the fight.
Gulbuddin’s four medium-paced overs for 20 and four runs turned the tide of the match as Australia suffered their first senior international defeat to Afghanistan, being dismissed for 127 with four balls remaining.
“This is a great moment for me, for my country and for my people,” an elated Gulbuddin said after winning the man of the match award. “I learnt a lot about the pitch while batting and I’m happy that (captain) Rashid (Khan) has trusted me.”
Earlier, Pat Cummins had bagged his second successive hat-trick but Afghanistan lost steam after an opening century stand between Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran saw them settle for 148 for six.
Gurbaz top-scored with 60 off 49 balls (four fours, four sixes) and Zadran scored 51 off 48 balls (six fours) as Afghanistan trounced for an impressive 118 runs in the 16th over – their third century partnership of the tournament.
But with some luck in the half-chance and misfielding they took the advantage and picked up four wickets for eight runs to bring the innings back on level terms, with Marcus Stoinis providing the breakthrough before leg-spinner Adam Zampa applied the brakes with two wickets.
But it was Cummins, who took a hat-trick against Bangladesh in Antigua on Thursday, who effectively halted Afghanistan’s innings by getting Rashid Khan out at the end of the 18th over, before adding Karim Janat and eventual hero Gulbuddin early in the 20th over.
“We weren’t in good form on the field, I’ll accept that,” Australia captain Mitchell Marsh acknowledged, “we knew it was a difficult wicket but both teams bowled and batted and we got beaten by the better team on the night.”
Reflecting on a historic night for his team, coach Rashid acknowledged his delight at returning to the opening pairing of Gurbaz and Zadran.
“We tried a few different things in the last game against India so it was important to go back to the previous XI,” he explained. “We thought 140 was a reasonable total on this wicket so the belief was there and as a captain it makes your job easier when you have lots of options with a bowler like Gulbadin.”
With two teams from the group now through to the semi-finals, Australia must win their final match against unbeaten leaders India in St Lucia on Monday to guarantee a place in the last four.
Afghanistan, who also have two points, remain in St Vincent and will face Bangladesh later on Monday by which time they will know what it takes to reach the semi-finals for the first time.
Intensity/Severity
