AUS vs AFG Highlights T20 World Cup: Australia beat Afghanistan by 4 runs in Adelaide

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Mohammad Nabi: Really good game of cricket, they started really well, and at the end, Farooqi bowled well. The way we started in the powerplay and in the middle, but we throw away those 4 wickets in the middle under pressure. It’s really tough to play a game and then don’t play for 10 days. We did not get any momentum at all through this tournament. Day by day we improve and today was a fantastic game for us.

Matthew Wade: We gave Stonis the last over, to have the allrounder bowl the last over is pretty nerve-wracking. I played him in IPL and I have seen him do it 3-4 times. But never felt entirely sure at any point. We will stay here tonight and watch the game tomorrow, we will be hoping for an upset. We put ourselves in this position from the get-go, we have been slow in this tournament and hopefully, it doesn’t cost us. David was very close to selection tonight and we are very hopeful they [David and Finch] will come through if we get there.

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ICYMI: New Zealand have qualified for the semi-finals. Sri Lanka have been eliminated from the semi-finals race. If England win tomorrow, they go ahead. If they lose, Australia go ahead.

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Glenn Maxwell: Afghanistan played really well, they struck the ball really cleanly. At the start, they put us under pressure in the powerplay. We were able to hold them back but then there was some pretty clean hitting towards the back end, and that gave us a bit of a scare. It was nice to have an impact in the field (on his run out). I knew I wasn’t going to have much of an impact with the ball with the conditions here. To have an impact is nice. During the day, it was quite slow, and taking spin, it was holding up a little bit. It was quite hard to press the issue. We got to about the 12th over mark where we just had to put a total on the board to make sure we gave ourselves a chance of winning the game. Even though we were trying to go hard, they bowled extremely well in the last four overs. They executed their plans and it was hard to get away. We’ll be following it (England vs Sri Lanka), we put ourselves in this situation, but hopefully Sri Lanka can do the job for us.

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Australia will still hope, they will hope for Sri Lanka to beat England tomorrow. But they have been dusted by Afghanistan, more so by Rashid Khan. The match started with equations of Australia requiring a 60-run margin to win the match and get ahead of England’s NRR, but at the end of the match, they have just survived a scar. A big scar as they would have been knocked out of the tournament straight away. But Australia will live another day, and if luck is anything to be on their side, Sri Lanka might be able to prove heavy for England.

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Glenn Maxwell is player of the match.

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19.4 Rashid Khan, you beauty! That is pulled over the mid-wicket for a six. He has kept the fight alive and Afghanistan believe. 11 needed of 2.

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19.2 Stoinis is missing his line. Another delivery outside the leg stump and Rashid plummels it towards fine leg with four runs.

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18.4 Rashid Khan is playing a blinder at Adelaide Oval. Hazlewood drags the length back and Rashid tonks it over the mid-wicket region for a maximum! He is definitely entertaining the crowd.

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17.5 Rashid Khan has tonked that for six over the deep mid-wicket!

17.6 Rashid Khan smacks the ball over long-off for six more!

Afghanistan are right in the game with those two big hits and Rashid Khan is a dangerous batter at this stage of the game. Two clean hits, with sweet sound of the bat!

Afghanistan: 136/6 after 18 overs.

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16.5 Darwish Rasooli has smacked Cummins for a four over extra cover. Cummins takes pace off the ball and offers width on the off side. Rasooli stands tall and plays it over the infield for four runs.

Afghanistan: 120/6 after 17 overs

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So Australia cannot get ahead of England’s NRR now. Only a Sri Lanka win can help Australia to qualify for the semis, once they successfully defend the total. Australia have turned the tables and look to defend the total here.

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14.3 Afghanistan have suddenly lost a flurry of wickets. Four wickets for four runs. Poor shot from Afghan skipper. Tries to smack a back of a length delivery on the leg side, but finds David Warner at deep square leg. Mohammed Nabi c David Warner b Josh Hazlewood 1(2)

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13.2 Second wicket in the over. A topsinner from Zampa, and Ibrahim Zadran has already premeditated the sweep. He only gets a top-edge that loops to short fine. Ibrahim Zadran c Mitchell Marsh b Zampa 26(33)

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13.1 An excellent throw by Glenn Maxwell and Gulbadin has been run out! These two were constantly putting pressure on the Aussie fielders, running excellently between the wickets and taking twos. But Maxwell had enough of it. That was flicked to deep mid-wicket and they wanted the second run. Maxi sends in a flat throw and that directly hit the stumps. Gulbadin was caught short of the crease and he started to walk back even before the third umpire’s confirmation.

Gulbadin run out (Maxwell) 39(23)

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Just two runs from that Pat Cummins over and Australia will relax a bit.

Afghanistan: 98/2 after 13 overs

11.6 Multiple boundaries after that six to end the over! Afghanistan were looking strong and that 17-run over has set them cruising for the moment. The last ball was powered over the covers, the ball bounces once before the ropes and goes over for four runs.

Afghanistan: 96/2 after 12 overs

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11.3 Amazing shot from Gulbadin Naib! A good length delivery outside off stump and he has heaved it over wide long-on region for six runs. Steve Smith jumps hard to catch that, but that was a bit too far from him.

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So Afghanistan are going well in the run chase so far. The run rate equation seems out of question for Australia at the moment, as they need to win by 60 runs or more to get ahead of England on that front. Australia will have to look to win this match as Afghanistan might look threatening if this partnership extends for a few more overs. Interesting phase ahead.

9.4 Four more runs for Afghanistan, but this time it is Ibrahim Zadran. A hint of width outside the off stump, and Zadran goes hard after the ball. He gets a thick outside edge and the ball races away to the third man fence, where Adam Zampa makes a diving effort but to no avail.

Afghanistan: 72/2 after 10 overs

Drinks break.

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9.2 Gulbadin has taken over the mettle from Gurbaz, it seems. That was smashed over the cow corner, some serious display of power. Green bowls full and the batter swings his bat after clearing the front leg. That’s 85 metres into the stands.

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8.3 A flighted delivery from Zampa, Gulbadin gets forward and drives it through the covers. Excellent shot and he will grab four runs!

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Two back-to-back decent overs for Australia. Just four runs in last 12 deliveries. Australia chipping in with some economical overs.

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5.5 An edge through the slips, and Gulbadin Naib will get four lucky runs. The short third man is far and wide from the edge.

Afghanistan: 47/2 after 6 overs

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5.3 An easier catch than on the first ball and David Warner has made no mistake. A full delivery by Richardson and Gurbaz hit it straight to Warner at mid-off. Richardson has his first wicket on the third ball of the tournament. Rahmanullah Gurbaz c David Warner b Kane Richardson 30  (17)

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5.1 A big heave on the leg side by Gurbaz to welcome Richardson in the bowling. The ball flies just outside the 30-yard circle. Cameron Green runs in from mid-wicket, covers the distance, but cannot hold on to the catch.

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Nine runs from the fifth over. Marcus Stoinis hasn’t conceded any boundaries, but Afghanistan have still managed to score well.

Afghanistan: 38/1 after 5 overs

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3.6 That was turning out to be a good over from Cummins, but Afghanistan has a boundary on the last ball. On a good length outside off, Gurbaz uses the width and dabs it wide of the diving short third man.  

Afghanistan: 29/1 after 4 overs

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2.6 Gurbaz is out with a different mindset. He has decided to torment Aussie bowlers. That was pitched short on the off stump, and Gurbaz pulls it to perfection for a maximum over square leg.

Afghanistan: 22/1 after 3 overs

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2.3 A leading edge for Usman Ghani and he has to depart. Hard length delivery from Hazlewood, and Ghani skies the shot high, trying to heave it on leg side. A tumbling catch by Pat Cummins, who runs in from mid-on and catches right behind the umpire.

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Gurbaz collided with Cummins while taking a quick single and is now being treated for some pain on his arm/ elbow.

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0.6 How good is that shot from Rahmanullah Gurbaz! Unbelievable. Hazlewood misses his line, bowls on the legs and Gurbaz has flicked it away towards deep square leg and that has gone on the second floor in the stands! Matthew Wade watches it helplessly sailing over the ropes.

Afghanistan: 10/0 after 1 over

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Afghan openers are out in the middle, and so are Aussie fielders. Australia have Kane Richardson in place of Mitchell Starc, quite surprising. But the action resumes – Josh Hazlewood to Gurbaz.

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So Australia have ended at least 20 runs short of where they would have wanted to be. 168 might prove to be a par score for Aussies, but a lower victory margin will do no good to them. They cannot go past New Zealand, and they have officially qualified to the semi-finals. Australia bowlers have to bowl their hearts out to finish second in Group 1. They will now have to try and restrict Afghanistan to less than 106 to get ahead of England. Australia under serious pressure. They are playing without Mitchell Starc.