Today, on Tuesday, June 25th, the Afghan national cricket team achieved a historic milestone by defeating Bangladesh by 8 runs in a thrilling match. This victory marks Afghanistan’s first-ever entry into the semi-finals of the 2024 Cricket World Cup.
Winning the toss, Afghanistan set a target of 116 runs, reaching 115/5 in their allotted overs. Key contributions came from Rahmanullah Gurbaz (43 runs), Rashid Khan (19 runs), and Ibrahim Zadran (18 runs). In response, Bangladesh was bowled out for 105 runs, falling short by 8 runs.
Notably, Rashid Khan, the captain of the Afghan team, reached a significant milestone by taking his 150th wicket in international T20 matches. He achieved this feat in 91 innings at an impressive average of 14.08, placing him among the top wicket-takers in T20 history.
In today’s match, Naveen-ul-Haq and Rashid Khan excelled with four wickets each, while Fazal-ul-Haq Farooqui and Gulbuddin Naib contributed with one wicket each. Naveen-ul-Haq was honored as the player of the match for his outstanding performance.
Prior to this, on June 23rd, Afghanistan secured a historic victory over Australia in the quarter-finals, winning by 21 runs. This string of successes underscores Afghanistan’s growing prowess in international cricket and sets the stage for an exciting semi-final showdown in the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup.