T20 World Cup results: Afghanistan shock Australia to keep semi-final hopes alive

A win for Australia would have seen them and India safely through to the semis with a game to spare.

Instead, the group has been brought to life thanks to a memorable Afghanistan win.

The first moment of intrigue came at the toss when Australia opted to bowl first at a ground where chasing has historically been difficult.

However, it quickly became apparent that batting was not going to be simple on a bouncy pitch offering movement for seamers and spinners alike.

Afghanistan’s openers battled through some tricky opening overs before accelerating towards the end of the powerplay.

Gurbaz and Zadran picked their moments to attack superbly as the innings progressed but, with boundaries not always easy to come by, it was their tireless running between the wickets that really kept the momentum going.

Afghanistan, who are coached by former England batter Jonathan Trott, faltered once the partnership was broken with Cummins nipping in to claim his own landmark late in the innings but the openers had done more than enough to give their side a chance.

They got the ideal start in the second innings, too, as Naveen-ul-Haq bowled Travis Head with a beauty third ball and then got rid of Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh with a slower ball.

When David Warner fell in the last over of the powerplay, Afghanistan were in control but they knew better than to think the job was done against Australia, especially with Maxwell at the crease.

The all-rounder produced one of the great innings to deny them at the 50-over World Cup in India last year and, for a time, he threatened to repeat the feat.

But this time Afghanistan would not be denied. Naib dragged them over the line almost single-handedly, taking four wickets – including the big one of Maxwell, caught at backward point – and then diving to take a stunning catch to get rid of Ashton Agar.

Adam Zampa was the last man to go, holing out off Azmatullah Omarzai with four balls left in the match as Afghanistan clinched a momentous triumph.

The joyous celebrations told the story with Australia defeated at last. And now Afghanistan have the chance to add further chapters before this World Cup is done.