Image Source: AP/ICC TWITTER, Pat Cummins And Wasim Akram
Afghanistan secured a 21-run victory over Australia in a thriller of a match in the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup 2024. The Afghan bowlers staged a remarkable comeback, restricted Australia to 127 runs for the loss of all wickets. Bowling first, Afghanistan managed 148 runs on the board, and its bowlers made light of the target.
Hattrick Hero
Australian spearhead Pat Cummins bowled a stunning hat-trick in his team’s match against Afghanistan. Coming on the heels of his previous match against Bangladesh, where he also took three wickets in three consecutive overs, Cummins has now becomes the first bowler to take hattricks in two consecutive T20 World Cup matches. His three for three came in the 20th over, dismissing Karim Janat and Gulbadin Naib in the process.
A Rare Milestone
Giving credit to Australian’s Jimmy Matthews, who achieved this remarkable feat in 1912, and Pakistan great Wasim Akram who did so in 1999 – Pat Cummins has now equaled this record after 25 long years. This feat has been elusive for many, but Cummins has etched his place amongst the greats with this outstanding show.
Last But Not Least
Afghanistan’s victory was largely due to Poor batting from the Australian side except for Glenn Maxwell, who top-scoring with 59 runs, the rest of the batsmen failed to make an impact. Aussie openers Travis Head returned to the pavilion without any runs on the board, while David Warner managed only three runs. As Afghanistan ran out of overs, they closed the innings at 127 – a mere 21 runs, which proved to be a challenge too far for the Australians.