END OF OVER:20 | 7 Runs 2 Wkts | AFG: 148/6 | RR: 7.40
- Mohammad Nabi10 (4b)
- Nangeyalia Kharote1 (1b)
- Pat Cummins4-0-28-3
- Josh Hazlewood4-0-39-0
A note, if Australia win, then the semi-finalists from Group 1 will be decided. When we return, Madushka Balasuriya will be calling the first half of the chase.
10pm Which side will be happier? Australia ensured Afghanistan couldn't cross 150 after that century stand between the two half-centurions Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran. And Afghanistan made sure they have put up a promising total on a spin-friendly pitch. Afghanistan dominated from overs 11 to 15, scoring at nine per over, but they failed to finish strong. Ashton Agar, despite the fielding errors and no wickets, is the pick of the bowlers for his 4-1-17-0.
Cummins: (Did you know this was a hat-trick?) Yeah, remembered this one. Crazy to get two in a row after playing 100+ games for Australia. (Afghanistan innings) They batted well. Decent bowling effort. Not our best day in the field. (Dropped catches) As you said it is uncharacteristic. Maybe the lights. (Conditions changed?) Not too much. Bit of spin through the 20 overs and a bit up and down. (How to approach the target) They ran pretty well. We need to keep busy with intent."
DaWolf: "Both teams equally happy. Afghanistan have put up a score on a track where their spinners can prosper, Australia will be happy to have kept the big partnership slow and taken wickets at the end. Australia ahead IMO but wickets change everything."
Sowmya : "Given the start / foundation they had Afghanistan are surely 25 short. Backing Australia to win this , but it's not going to be walk in the park"
Dr Saeed Samim: "Huge disappointment again from the middle order and very strange batting order from staff this total should have gone to 180, sad with it "
Soumya: "17 years since that double hattrick and it just Slipped away." -- Oh yes, Malinga magic versus South Africa, but since then a few more people have got there
Bargey Boy: "Cummins on a hat trick of hat tricks."
Kevin: "Honestly, would have had Nabi at 3 after the opening stand. A situation built for him, plus his experience!"
Gulbadin Naib c Maxwell b Cummins 0 (12m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00
Karim Janat c David b Cummins 13 (13m 9b 0x4 1x6) SR: 144.44
END OF OVER:19 | 15 Runs | AFG: 141/4 | RR: 7.42
- Mohammad Nabi4 (1b)
- Karim Janat13 (8b)
- Josh Hazlewood4-0-39-0
- Pat Cummins3-0-21-1
Jeffb: "Glad Agar bowled well... his fielding tonight has been atrocious "
Fuad: "Rashid was swinging his bat blindly without understanding the condition of the surface. Bit unexpected from the skipper." -- yeah, felt the same.
Tony: "You might say I'm being a little harsh, but Australia's fielding and catching has been well below par this innings. Well below the standard they would expect. The additional runs those mistakes have cost them could well come back to haunt them at the end."
Arafat: "I think sending Rashid ahead of Nabi or Naib is a little bit sloppy considering the pitch. Sensible hit is more required than blind swing."
END OF OVER:18 | 4 Runs 1 Wkt | AFG: 126/4 | RR: 7.00
- Karim Janat2 (3b)
- Pat Cummins3-0-21-1
- Adam Zampa4-0-28-2
Rishab: "Travis Head with the drop. If only that happened on 19th November :(" -- Hahaha, that too right at that cover point region
Sanjay: "Captain of blue jerseyed team. Australia is the opposition. Miss times it to cover. Travis Head's the fielder. AND HE DROPS IT THIS TIME!!!! Always makes you think "what if" doesn't it?"
Rashid Khan c David b Cummins 2 (4m 5b 0x4 0x6) SR: 40.00
Cummins has really developed this slow offcutter and the variation bouncer in T20s
Caleb: "All the nah sayers complaining about the Afghanistan openers batting too slow, you see why now. This is an incredibly tricky track, lose one and you could lose 5 -we have seen 3 here already. The openers put on more themselves than the last 4 completed innings on this track, they did a phenomenal job! 150 is above par, hoping they can still push through to that!"
Three overs to go. Cummins to bowl. Rashid at the non-striker's end
END OF OVER:17 | 3 Runs 2 Wkts | AFG: 122/3 | RR: 7.17
- Karim Janat1 (2b)
- Adam Zampa4-0-28-2
- Marcus Stoinis2-0-19-1
Jack: "I do love how a difficult track like this one at Kingstown plays on teams mindsets. Do they go in all guns blazing and blast a massive score or do what Afghanistan are doing here and keep wickets safe to have resources and talent to fire to a score that can be enough? I don't really envy them..."
Ibrahim Zadran c Marsh b Zampa 51 (73m 48b 6x4 0x6) SR: 106.25
Prasanth : "This is a great point of entry for Rashid Khan, no?" -- Him, Naib, Nabi....
Aftab: "that send off looked a bit too rude. It it allowed these days? " -- that's something for stand-in match referee Jeff Crowe (working remotely today) to decide.
Tautoru: "Agar may not have taken a wicket but a good economy rate has helped prevent what could have been a much higher score. "
Azmatullah Omarzai b Zampa 2 (2m 3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 66.66