Adelaide [Australia], November 4 (ANI): Following his side’s four-run loss to defending champions Australia in the ICC T20 World Cup, Afghanistan skipper Mohammad Nabi said that losing four wickets in the middle overs cost his side the match.
Glenn Maxwell’s unbeaten 54 from 32 deliveries followed by Adam Zampa and Josh Hazlewood’s brilliant spells guided Australia to a 4-run victory over Afghanistan in their Super 12 clash of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 here at Adelaide Oval on Friday.
“A really good game of cricket. They started really well but at the end, Naveen and Farooqi bowled well and it was not a big total on that pitch. We started well in the powerplay and the middle, but threw away four wickets back to back and that put us under pressure. [On two washouts] Tough when you play the first game and then do not play for 10 days. We didn’t get that momentum but improved every game from there,” said Nabi in a post-match presentation.
With this win, Australia has climbed to the second position in Group 1 points table with seven points and three wins in five games. One of their matches against England was washed out due to which they received a point. They had lost their campaign opener to New Zealand.
On the other hand, Afghanistan has finished its campaign at the bottom of the table, with two points they got due to two washouts. They lost rest of their three matches.
Chasing a tricky target of 169 runs, Rashid Khan shone with bat and ball for Afghanistan as the player played a gritty unbeaten knock of 48 off 23 balls, when his side was struggling at 103/6 in 14.3 overs and also bagged one wicket conceding 29 runs, but it was not enough to guide Afghanistan home. Gulbadin Naib played a knock of 39 off 23 while Rahmanullah Gurbaz also contributed as he scored 30 runs in 17 balls. Naib-Gurbaz shared a 59-run stand for the third wicket.
For Australia, Zampa (2/22) and Hazlewood (2/33) bagged two wickets each respectively.
Earlier, Glenn Maxwell led Australia to 168/8 in 20 overs while smashing 54 runs in 32 balls. Mitchell Marsh performed admirably until his innings were cut short and he left the game after scoring 45 runs. Before Marcus Stoinis was dismissed by Rashid Khan after scoring 21 runs, Maxwell and Stoinis appeared to be working well together, putting a 53-run stand for the fifth wicket.
Earlier, after Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi won the toss and decided to bowl first, Cameron Green, David Warner, and Steve Smith each lost their wickets during the powerplay. For Afghanistan Naveen-ul-Haq bagged three while Fazalhaq Farooqi scalped two wickets.
Maxwell was given the ‘Man of the Match’ award for his half-century.
Brief Score: Australia: 168/8 (Glenn Maxwell 54*, Mitchell Marsh 45; Naveen-ul-Haq 3-21) vs Afghanistan: 164/7 (Rashid Khan 48*, Gulbadin Naib 39; Adam Zampa 2-22). (ANI)
This report is filed by ANI news service. TheNewsMill holds no responsibility for this content.
