With a very limited history of facing each other in T20 cricket, Afghanistan is all set to challenge Australia in the Super 8 match of the ongoing 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, set to kick off early on Sunday morning at Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown, St. Vincent. The rise of Afghanistan cricket is remarkable and warrants considerable applause. Teams like Australia will never take Afghanistan lightly, especially after their last meeting in international cricket at Wankhede Stadium during the 50-over World Cup last year, where Glenn Maxwell single-handedly led Australia to victory. Afghanistan suffered a setback with a negative net run rate of -2.250 following their first Super 8 match against India. Another defeat could potentially spell the end for Rashid Khan‘s team, who currently languish at the bottom of Group 1 in the points table. Conversely, Australia, led by Mitchell Marsh, currently leads the table with 2 points and is expected to field the same strong lineup against the spin-heavy Afghan team. Afghanistan, at the midway point of the tournament, appeared to be a formidable opponent. Under the guidance of coach Jonathan Trott, the team secured three consecutive victories in the group stage, defeating Uganda, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea by impressive margins. However, their momentum was halted when they faced the hosts, West Indies, in St. Lucia for the last match of the group stage. Afghanistan’s winning streak ended with a significant 104-run defeat. In their first match of the Super 8 stage against India, Rashid Khan’s side struggled to challenge the unbeaten Indian team. Chasing a target of 182, Afghanistan was bowled out for 134, suffering a 47-run defeat. Interestingly, all 10 Afghan batsmen were caught out, marking only the second instance of this occurrence in T20 World Cup history. Australia, on the other hand, has been dominating the marquee event as expected. The team remains unbeaten in the tournament and boasts a superior net run rate compared to India. The former T20 World Champions won their first two group stage matches by batting first against Oman and England, while they successfully chased down targets against Namibia and Scotland in the subsequent matches. Their Super 8 opener against Bangladesh in Antigua was affected by rain, but Australia secured victory as they were comfortably ahead of the DLS par score by 28 runs. The match also featured a notable performance from Pat Cummins, who claimed his maiden T20I hat-trick, and David Warner, who blazed to a rapid fifty. As mentioned, the sample size is small, with Afghanistan and Australia having played only a single T20 match, which took place during the last World Cup at Adelaide Oval, Australia. Australia emerged victorious in that match, but it was a last-over thriller, with Afghanistan narrowly losing by just 4 runs. Fazalhaq Farooqi (Afghanistan): The left-arm pacer from Afghanistan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, has been exceptional throughout the ongoing tournament and is on the verge of making history. The Afghan speedster, who has picked up 15 wickets so far with an average of 7.53, a strike rate of 7.33, and an economy of 6.16, is just one wicket shy of equaling Wanindu Hasaranga’s record of 16 wickets in the 2021 T20 World Cup. In Afghanistan’s last match, the 23-year-old Afghan broke the 14-year-old record of Dirk Nannes (14 wickets in 2010), becoming the pacer with the most wickets in a single edition of the tournament. Additionally, Farooqi set a new world record in the recent game against India, recording figures of 4-0-33-3, making it his fourth three-wicket haul in a single edition of the T20 World Cup.What have they done so far?
Head to Head Record
Key Players
Stoinis remarkable strike rate of 190.24 is currently the best in the ongoing tournament
Marcus Stoinis (Australia): The powerful all-rounder from the Australian team, Marcus Stoinis, has been delivering consistently with both bat and ball, currently ranking as the seventh-highest run-scorer of the tournament. Batting in the middle order, the 34-year-old Stoinis has accumulated 156 runs in 3 innings with an astonishing average of 78, including 2 fifties.
On the bowling front, the Perth-born all-rounder has claimed 7 wickets in 4 innings, with an average of 10.85, an economy rate of 6.90, and a strike rate of 9.42. Stoinis is expected to continue his remarkable form and showcase his all-round skills against Afghanistan on Sunday.
Predicted XIs
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Gulbadin Naib, Najibullah Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan ©, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Australia: Travis Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh ©, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
Prediction
Australia, maintaining an unbeaten streak in the tournament, is expected to extend their winning run as they enter as clear favorites to secure another 2 points against Afghanistan, which is currently grappling with a loss of momentum.