Australian captain Mathew Wade after his side beat Afghanistan by four runs in a thrilling encounter on Friday at the Adelaide Oval. (SOURCE: ICC)Australia vs Afghanistan Live Cricket Score, T20 WC 2022, 38th Match, Super 12 Group 1: Australia have beaten Afghanistan in a nailbiting contest by the slimmest of the margins. Rashid Khan right at the end produced some fireworks with his blistering 48 of just 23 balls. However, They fell short by four runs. On the other hand, Australia had other things in their mind like the mere matter of qualifying for the World Cup Semifinals. The pressure showed throughout the game. During their batting innings, they looked like they will be able to make 200 runs when Glenn Maxwell 54(32) and Marcus Stoinis 25(21) were batting together but they collapsed because of some brilliant death bowling by Naveen-ul-Haq whose four overs went for 21 runs and he picked three for. In their bowling innings, after a substantial partnership between Gulbadin Naib 39(23) and Ibrahim Zaidan 26(33), Australia bought themselves back into the game at one stage Afghanistan was 101/5. However, the pendulum swung again when Rashid tonked a few. All in all another timid performance by the Aussies has put their semis chances in Jeopardy. Sri Lanka has to beat England tomorrow at SCG for Australia to go through or else that’s that for the defending champions.
Australia: 168/8 Glen Maxwell 54(32), Mitchell Marsh 45(30) Naveen-ul-Haq 3-21(4)
Afghanistan: 164-7 Rashid Khan 48(23), Gulbadin Naib 39(23) Adam Zampa 2-22(4)
Player of the match: Glenn Maxwell
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Australia
168/8 (20.0)Afghanistan
164/7 (20.0)Australia beat Afghanistan by 4 runs
What an innings by Rashid khan 48 of just 23 balls. Australia has won the game but this puts a massive dent in their Net run rate. Afghanistan fought hard throughout the chase they were brilliant first with the ball and then with the bat. Australia is now relied on Sri Lanka to do their bidding and beat England at SCG tomorrow. What a World Cup is turning out to be.
Just when it felt like it is done. Rashid Khan hits two mammoth sixes of Kane Richardson in the final two balls of the over. Afghanistan is 136/6 the game is still on.
Australia may be on their way to winning this game but they will still need Sri Lanka's help tomorrow. If England beat Sri Lanka they will be through.
After a 59-run partnership, Gulbadin and Ibrahim go in back-to-back deliveries the former goes for a brilliant run out by Maxwell and the latter tries to sweep Zampa and gets out. Najibullah Zadran goes for duck lofts one straight to Glenn Maxwell. Afghanistan 101/5
It is looking gloomy after every over for Australia. Afghanistan has come out with a fearless attitude and has batted brilliantly so far.
Afghanistan is going in an exceptionally mature fashion about this chase. At the halfway mark there are 72/2 right in the game. Just to remind Australia to have to win handsomely here to give themselves a chance or they rely on Sri Lanka to defeat England.
This looks to be a promising contest. It is fun to watch for the neutrals but the closer the Afghans get it gets more difficult for Australia to stay in the tournament. Afghanistan 66/2
Gurbaz tries to capitalise on the last over of the Powerplay. Tries to hit one over the mid-on fielder gets caught. Australia 47/2
Neither Australia nor Afghanistan is backing down. They are going at full throttle at each other this is going to be fun folks!
If Australia lose to Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka wins against England, Sri Lanka qualifies. New Zealand has qualified for the semis.
Australia trying to make a big total on the board lost the plot completely at the death. What looked like 180 was a definite possibility while Stoinis and Maxwell were batting together was curtailed to 168 due to the fall of wickets at regular intervals. Afghanistan on the other hand like Australia had a mixed day. They dropped Mitchel Marsh early on his innings he then went on to make a decent 45. Other than that they kept bowling tight lines and lengths and kept picking wickets. Naveen-Ul-Haq had a brilliant spell picking three wickets for 21 runs. Maxwell was the top scorer of the innings with 54 runs.
Naveen-Ul-Haq and Fazal Farooqi are having a brilliant day out here. Australia trying to get a big total is losing the plot here. Trying to overachieve seems like they are going to adjust with a par total.
Fazal Farooqi bowls a Jaffer to the lefthander. Brilliant yorker by the Afghan. Brilliant piece of death bowling skill shown here by Afghanistan.
What seemed to be an ominous partnership between Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis got broken by Rashid Khan. Stoinis after hitting six of the first ball tries to hit into the stands again and falls for 25.
The mantra that the Aussies have opted for today. They have come out with all guns blazing right from the word go. Every batter who has come just tried to hit the spinners out of the park by disturbing their lines and lengths. It hasn't been completely fruitfully but guess what they are scoring at nine runes per over so who cares how many wickets are down?
Inform batter Mitchell Marsh goes after scoring 45 runs. Trying to hoik one over the midwicket region of Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman the batter mistimes it and the ball goes high in the air which the wicketkeeper Gurbaz catches cleanly. Australi 88/4
The Gulbadin Naib over has yielded 16 runs to the Aussies. Clever cricket by the Aussies they realised it is going to be difficult to get after Rashid Khan the batters are going after the bowlers from the other end.
Naveen-ul-Haq traps Smith in front of the stumps. The batter came in to replace Tim David on the side. Australia is three down. Things may get tricky once Rashid Khan comes into the attack.
Naveen-ul-Haq Murid breaks the partnership. Warner makes no contact while attempting a switch hit, the ball gets through, and Warner is bowled.
Marsh slogs this over the deep mid-wicket region for a six. Australia are targeting Mujeeb.
Now Marsh gets into the act. Full, wide outside the off and Marsh throws the bat, only to get an outside edge that flows towards the boundary rope.
Slower one from Farooqi, Warner waits for and dragged it with a horizontal bat and the ball beats the diving Rashid Khan at the deep midwicket.
Fazalhaq Farooqi strikes. First wicket falls as Green edges to first slip for 3. Sharp catch from Gulbadin.
Hat-trick of boundaries for David Warner. He is taking on Mujeeb Ur Rahman!
Pitched up wide outside off and Warner smashes it to the fence. Length outside off stump as the batter stays back and punches it towards deep point.
Australia: Cameron Green, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk/c), Pat Cummins, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Usman Ghani, Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Darwish Rasooli, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazal Farooqi
Afghanistan win the toss and choose to bowl. Three changes for Australia and two for Afghanistan.
Afghanistan arrive in Adelaide with nothing to play for but pride. The Group 1 strugglers currently sit bottom of the table after two defeats and two rain-affected fixtures.
Hello and welcome to yet another interesting game in the T20 World Cup where the hosts taking on Afghanistan. Australia occupy third place in Group 1, behind New Zealand and England, by way of a far inferior net run rate. Heading into Friday's clash, the focus for Aaron Finch's men will be on not just winning but winning big to overturn this deficit.