 "T20 World Cup: 'Australia won the game but Rashid Khan won hearts', Twitterati reacts to Afghanistan's valiant effort")
The T20 World Cup keeps on giving fans one thriller after another, be it India winning by 5 runs against Bangladesh or Australia edging past a determined Afghanistan on Friday. After posting a total of 168 runs on the scoreboard, Australia almost failed to control a rampaging Afghanistan, led by Rashid Khan, who managed 48 off just 23 deliveries. The close victory has put a dent in Australia’s run rate and they are now reliant on Sri Lanka beating England to secure their spot in the semi-finals of the tournament. Afghanistan, who have not managed to win any of their fixtures, put up a spirited performance to almost bring the Aussies to their knees. The nail-biting encounter between the sides was a delight for cricket lovers, with several of them admiring Afghanistan’s efforts. Check out some of the reactions here: The official Twitter handle of Afghanistan Cricket Board hailed the efforts of their team.
Things went right down to the wire but after an epic show with the bat, #AfghanAtalan fell short by jussst 4 runs to Australia.
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) November 4, 2022
𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐋-𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐎, 𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐅𝐅 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓 👏👏#T20WorldCup | #AFGvAUS pic.twitter.com/6IzP4ZKku9
Reema Malhotra wrote, “What a game of cricket !!Aus won the match but Afghanistan played really well !! @rashidkhan_19 what an entertainer !! Australia still alive …”
What a game of cricket 🏏 !!Aus won the match but Afghanistan played really well !! @rashidkhan_19 what an entertainer 👏 !! Australia still alive … #AUSvsAFG #T20WorldCup2022
— Reemma malhotrra (@ReemaMalhotra8) November 4, 2022
Amit Mishra also singled out Rashid Khan for his swashbuckling performance.
Well played Afghanistan, fought till the end. Congratulations to Australia for a good win. But what a fantastic innings by swashbuckling @rashidkhan_19. #AUSvsAFG pic.twitter.com/r418Uj1lLM
— Amit Mishra (@MishiAmit) November 4, 2022
Harsha Bhogle commented, “What a wonderful game. Afghanistan lost but the talk was all about them. Loved how the narrative changed from how well Australia could win to whether they could actually win.”
What a wonderful game. Afghanistan lost but the talk was all about them. Loved how the narrative changed from how well Australia could win to whether they could actually win.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) November 4, 2022
Impact Shorts
More ShortsPeople were all praises for all-rounder Rashid Khan, who almost took Afghanistan past the winning post.
What a knock from Rashid Khan - 48* in just 23 balls. Kept fighting till the very end for Afghanistan, an unbelievable effort from Afghanistan!
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) November 4, 2022
Top performance, Rashid! pic.twitter.com/7VGnBqFNLK
Others felt sorry that Afghanistan could not secure a win in the tournament.
A sad end for Afghanistan, 2 matches were abandoned due to rain, give a great fight to England and Australia.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) November 4, 2022
Going without a win but should be proud of their fight through this tournament.
Here are some more reactions:
Take a bow to Rashid Khan 🙏
— Ashutosh Srivastava 🇮🇳 (@sri_ashutosh08) November 4, 2022
Australia won the match but King Rashid Khan won heart. Well played Afghanistan 🙏💪#RashidKhan #AUSvsAFGhttps://t.co/EXS7S5AXQt
4⃣8⃣* (23), nearly pulling off a victory - Rashid Khan, you absolute beauty! 🙌#AUSvsAFG #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/oGZjBRdtog
— MI Cape Town (@MICapeTown) November 4, 2022
Not quite enough to get over the line...but what a stunning knock from Rashid Khan. 48* off 23. Australia win...but only just. What a game! #AUSvsAFG pic.twitter.com/1Ysf5U8MPy
— Aatif Nawaz (@AatifNawaz) November 4, 2022
Courtesy of Australia’s narrow win, New Zealand have managed to become the first team to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-finals. In the game, Australia managed to reach 168, due to Glenn Maxwell’s 54 off 32. In the second half of the clash, the hosts did take some early wickets but the Afghan team soldiered on, with Gulbadin Naib smashing 39 before he was run out by Maxwell. Rashid Khan almost turned the tables around for his side with his power-packed innings, but lost out by a measly 4 runs.
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