Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq lead Afghanistan to World Cup semi-finals

Afghanistan vs Bangladesh, 52nd Match, Cricket, Series: ICC Mens T20 World Cup 2024 Venue: Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown, St Vincent Date & Time: Jun 24 Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq lead Afghanistan to World Cup semi-finals 

AFG 115/5 (20)

BAN 105 (17.5)

The work is very hard, but to get something good, you have to go through the hard way. Bangladesh has a tough road to reach the semi-finals for the first time in T20 World Cup. Will Bangladesh be able to get their best success in T20 World Cup by passing that way?

What is the difficult path? After winning the toss and batting, the Afghanistan team picked up 115 runs for 5 wickets in the scheduled 20 overs. To go to the semi-finals, Bangladesh will not only win this match against Afghanistan. Afghanistan have to cross the target in 12.1 overs.

However, to go to the semi-finals, Bangladesh will continue this run at the top in 12.5 overs. In that case a six is ​​to be hit after the score is tied. In other words, Bangladesh has to score 121 runs in 12.5 overs. Even if they beat Afghanistan in 12.3 overs, Bangladesh will go to the semi-finals. In that case, 119 runs have to be scored in 12.3 overs.

What to do, Bangladesh has to do it within 13 overs. If you win in 12.1 overs, it is not a problem, if you win in 12.2 overs, you have to make 118. If you win in 12.3 overs, you have to score 119 runs, 120 runs in 12.4 overs and 121 runs in 12.5 overs.

Bangladesh started the match very well in order to reach the semi-finals. Tanjim Hasan, Taskin Ahmed and Shakib Al Hasan bowled tight from the start. They gave only 27 runs in 6 overs of Powerplay. But did not get any wicket.

If Ibrahim Zadran did not get his life, Bangladesh could have got that too. Captain Nazmul Hossain brought the spinner in the fifth over after the two pacers completed 2 overs at both ends. Shakib Al Hasan came. Chance created the third ball. Ibrahim pulled the ball of short length. However, Tawhid Hriday could not keep the catch even if he reached with a little jump at extra cover.

Ibrahim could not do much despite getting the opportunity. He scored 18 runs off 29 balls before being caught by Rishad Hossain. His out broke the opening pair of 59 runs. The Afghans, who were already scoring runs at a slow pace, seemed to stall even more in this outing. 1 run comes from Rishad's wicket-taking over. Taskin did the next Maiden. Shakib gave 3 runs in the 13th over

Under the pressure of decreasing runs, the innings of Afghans quickly lost 4 more wickets and finally stopped at 115 runs. For Afghanistan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 43 runs off 55 balls with 3 fours and 1 six. Rishad took maximum 3 wickets with 26 runs for Bangladesh.

Two days after beating Australia, Afghanistan went one step further with an incredible win over Bangladesh to advance to the semifinal of the Men's T20 World Cup 2024. When India beat Australia in the morning game, the requirement was clear: a win would take Afghanistan through ahead of the 2021 champions. Nonetheless, Bangladesh came as a thorn in their flesh, putting in a commendable bowling performance to restrict Afghanistan to 115/5 in 20 overs. The conditions got a bit better with rain spells and Litton Das showed batting resolve but Rashid Khan (4 for 23) and Naveen Ul Haq (4 for 26) combined to take their side to the last-four.

Where the game was dominated:

Bangladesh would've comfortably gotten over the line notwithstanding the collapse in the middle-overs. Contrastingly, Afghanistan did well to lose just a single wicket in this phase even as they were deprived of out of here from a sluggish start.

Afghanistan

PowerPlay: Slow start in tough conditions

Phase score - 27/0 [RR: 4.50, 4s/6s: 3/0]

In tough batting conditions, Afghanistan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran made a watchful start to proceedings after Rashid Khan won the toss and chose to bat. Tanzim Hasan and Taskin Ahmed got steep skip to make the Afghan pair uncomfortable in the first several overs. In the third from Tanzim, one short ball flew over Litton Das' reach behind the stumps for four byes before Ibrahim sent a length ball through covers. Shakib Al Hasan was brought on in the fifth over and almost struck straightaway, but Towhid Hridoy dropped a catch at short cover to give Ibrahim a life. Just a single additional four came in the PowerPlay as Bangladesh bowlers continued to be on point with their lengths.

Middle-overs: Gurbaz pushes but Bangladesh continue to restrict AFG

Phase score - 53/1 [RR: 5.89, 4s/6s: 5/1]

In relative terms, the scoring rate worked on but just marginally as the ball kept skidding through and made life tough for the batters. Gurbaz and Ibrahim still took their partnership past 50 runs for the fourth time in this World Cup (including two 100 or more stands) but Afghanistan got through a period where they didn't score a four or a six for 39 conveyances. Gurbaz aimed to end the scoring rut by dancing down against Shakib and hitting a six down the ground. But the dot balls kept piling up in the face of exceptional bowling. Bangladesh's best bowler in the tournament - Rishad Hossain - gave the first breakthrough when he had Ibrahim caught at long-off from an acrobatic take by Tanzim. Taskin then dumbfounded a maiden to Gurbaz, before the latter cut loose in the 14th over from Rishad to add 13 runs to the total. Shakib gathered together the middle overs with the finish of his exceptional spell of 0 for 19 in 4 overs.

Death overs: Wickets, Rashid and rain

Phase score - 35/4 [RR: 7.00, 4s/6s: 2/3]

Afghanistan lost their way at the start of the death as wickets tumbled. Azmatullah Omarzai hoped to cut a Mustafizur conveyance and scratched it behind to Litton. Bangladesh had to survey the onfield call to give the batter the boot. Rishad then made unequivocal blows as he first tricked Gurbaz into a mistimed shot that he tossed up and then saw the back of Gulbadin Naib with the same ploy. Soumya Sarkar took both the catches from profound point, the subsequent one involving a forward sprint and a plunge timed to perfection. With that Rishad took his wickets tally for this World Cup 14, the most by a Bangladesh bowler in a single edition. While he finished with figures of 3 for 26, Mustafizur finished with 1 for 12. Rashid Khan swung his bat around a little at the finish to drag his team past the 100-run mark but could push as far as 115 which included a six off the final conveyance. Bangladesh bowled 66 dot balls in all, to save their side in with a chance for semifinal qualification. The players rushed indoors after the last-ball six as heavy rain interrupted play momentarily.

Bangladesh

PowerPlay: Bangladesh start well despite losing three

Phase score - 46/3 [RR: 7.67, 4s/6s: 4/1]

Following the rain break, the ball came onto the bat pleasantly for the Bangladesh openers and Litton Das took advantage of it in the absolute first over from Naveen Ul Haq. But Fazalhaq Farooqi got the ball to swing and trapped Tanzid Hasan leg before in the second over. Naveen came back well in his second over, dismissing Najmul Hossain and Shakib Al Hasan off progressive conveyances. Najmul succumbed to change of pace, dragging his big cheese to profound square leg while a leading edge off Shakib's bat went straight back to Naveen on the first ball he faced. Rain came down back to force the players off the field in the middle of the fourth over. At the point when they returned around 30 minutes later, Litton and Soumya Sarkar hoped to continue from where they left off, even as Mohammad Nabi amazed an excellent worth just three singles.

Middle-overs: Rashid triggers dramatic collapse

Phase score - 48/5 [RR: 5.34, 4s/6s: 6/0]

Rashid Khan thumped back Sarkar's stumps with a skiddy arm ball to set in motion Bangladesh's middle-overs collapse. Fazalhaq Farooqi dropped a catch and Afghanistan persevered through a few cheeky moments on the field but Rashid was indeed on hand to make inroads. In his second over, he got Towhid Hridoy to opening out to profound square leg, leaving Bangladesh at 64 for 5. Rashid astonished his third straight and took out Mahmudullah next. It took a generally excellent survey to send the senior batter back as the on-field umpire didn't get on the faint scratch. Rishad Hossain tried to trudge clear the first ball he faced and missed, giving Rashid his fourth wicket. There was another concise rain break that decreased the chase to 19 overs, with 114 (two less) to get. Afghanistan's bowling legend from two nights ago - Gulbadin Naib came on to excuse Tanzim, leaving Afghanistan two wickets away from a semifinal spot.

Death-overs: Naveen Ul Haq denies Litton to take AFG through

Litton watched a lot of the middle-overs from the flip side as the Bangladesh line-up crashed and torched their way to eight. He still didn't surrender as he brought up a half-century in the 16th over with a range shot and remained resolute while Afghanistan hunted for the last two wickets. Taskin Ahmed kept Litton company while the latter gradually ate into the deficit. The equation came down to 9 runs off 9 balls when Naveen cleaned up Taskin. Another spell of passing showers added to the intrigue as Bangladesh were behind according to DLS calculations. Play continued though, and Mustafizur Rahman had to play out the last ball of the 19th over to allow Litton a chance to chase in the 20th. But that was not to be as Naveen trapped Mustafizur leg before to spark wild celebrations.

Brief Scores:Afghanistan 115/5 in 20 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 43; Rishad Hossain 3-26) beat Bangladesh 105 in 17.5 overs (Litton Das 54*; Rashid Khan 4-23, Naveen Ul Haq 4-26) by 8 runs (DLS Method)