Defending champions Australia escaped a possible upset as Glenn Maxwell's brilliant runout to dismiss dangerous-looking Gulbadin Naib in the second innings against Afghanistan brought the host back in the game, only to register a 4-run victory. Although the Aussies registered a win in their final match of the Super-12 stage, their chances of qualification will depend on the result of the England vs Sri Lanka match.
Speaking of the game, Afghanistan batters - Rahmanullah Gurbaz (30 off 17), and Gulbadin Naib (39 off 23) played fine knocks in the second innings until magician Rashid Khan stole the show with his superb cameo in the game. 24-year-old right-handed batter Rashid Khan played one of the finest knocks in the current edition of the ICC tournament as he smashed 48 off just 23 deliveries with the help of four maximums and three boundaries. For Australia, Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa picked two wickets each while Kane Richardson returned with one wicket under his belt.
Australia will now hope Sri Lanka to win the game against England as that will help the host to qualify for the semi-final, but if England secured two points from the game, they would qualify for the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022. Earlier, New Zealand defeated Ireland by 35 runs to become the first team to enter the semis.
Here is the updated points table from Group 1 after Australia versus Afghanistan match on November 4 at Adelaide Oval.
