(AFP Photo)
The ICC T20 World Cup 2024 saw a major upset as reigning world champions Australia suffered a shocking defeat against Afghanistan on Saturday, June 22. Afghanistan triumphed over Australia by 21 runs at Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown, St Vincent, in the 48th match of the tournament.
Australia, who claimed the ODI World Cup title last year, entered the T20 World Cup 2024 as strong contenders for the trophy. Notably, Afghanistan had come close to defeating Australia in the previous ODI World Cup, only for Glenn Maxwell’s unbeaten double century to rescue Australia.
This time, however, Afghanistan delivered a remarkable performance, severely denting Australia’s chances of advancing to the semi-finals in the T20 World Cup 2024. Interestingly, India now holds the key to potentially eliminating Australia from the semi-final race.
How Australia Can Be Out Of T20 World Cup 2024 and Afghanistan Can Qualify For The Semi-Final?
Australia faces a critical juncture with two pivotal matches ahead. Their next challenge is against India on Monday, June 24, at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia. Mitchell Marsh’s team must secure a victory at all costs.
However, simply winning against India won’t be sufficient for Australia to secure a spot in the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-finals. Afghanistan must also lose their upcoming match in the tournament. Rashid Khan’s squad will face Bangladesh on the same day, June 24, at Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown.
Consequently, it’s clear that India and other contenders have the potential to prevent Australia from advancing if they achieve victories in their respective matches. This scenario presents Team India with an opportunity to seek redemption from their loss to Australia in the ODI World Cup.
India has been the standout team of ICC T20 World Cup 2024, maintaining an unbeaten record so far. Led by Rohit Sharma, they topped Group A to advance to the Super Eight stage.
In the Super Eight round, India displayed their dominance with a commanding 47-run victory over Afghanistan and followed it up with a 50-run win against Bangladesh in their previous encounter. A win against Australia will secure their place in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Australia suffered their first defeat in T20 World Cup 2024. The reigning champions of T20 WC 2021 topped Group B to qualify for the Super Eight stage. They started with a win against Bangladesh but were defeated by Afghanistan in their next match.
Afghanistan has been a force to reckon with since the beginning of ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Led by Rashid Khan, who was appointed captain before the tournament, they competed in Group C.
They dominated their group stage matches against teams like Uganda, New Zealand, and PNG, securing a place in the Super Eight. Although they lost their first Super Eight match to India, they bounced back impressively to stun Australia in a thrilling encounter.
Now, Afghanistan has the opportunity to secure their spot in the semi-finals by defeating Bangladesh convincingly in their upcoming match.
