Afghanistan secures thrilling semi-final spot with dramatic run chase

Gurbaz was once again in the spotlight as play resumed, but unfortunately not in a positive manner. An awkwardly bouncing ball hit the keeper on the knee, leading to another brief interruption in the game. He had to leave the ground due to the injury, as the most intense innings of the tournament began.

Fazalhaq Farooqi managed to dismiss Tanzid Hasan (0 off 3), adding another T20 World Cup wicket to his tally. Naveen-ul-Haq also made an impact by taking out two key players in the third over, including the captain of the opposing team.

The match was hit by another rain delay midway through the fourth over. This second interruption exhausted the time reserve for the game, meaning that any further delays would result in the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method coming into play.

Despite the challenges, the Tigers reached 46/3 at the six-over mark, with Litton Das and Soumya Sarkar building a partnership during the latter part of the Powerplay. However, their progress was halted when Rashid Khan was brought into the attack and promptly dismissed Sarkar (10 off 10).

With the pressure mounting on Bangladesh, their hopes of reaching the semi-finals were hanging in the balance. They needed to complete the run chase in 12.1 overs to surpass the Australians and secure a spot in the final four. Although Towhid Hridoy’s consecutive boundaries in the eighth over gave them some momentum, Khan struck again in the next over, creating yet another twist in the match.

As drinks approached, Das and Mahmudullah worked together to stabilize the innings for their team. They reached 77/5 at the drinks break, showing resilience in the face of Khan’s impressive bowling performance.

In a match that was filled with chaos and excitement, Khan continued to wreak havoc by taking two more wickets in the 11th over, including the dismissal of Mahmudullah. With figures of 17/4 off three overs, Khan had done everything in his power to keep the contest finely balanced.