Despite heartbreaking defeat to Australia, Afghanistan can qualify for World Cup semis. Here’s how

Afghanistan were so close, yet so far, as Australia and Glenn Maxwell broke their hearts on November 7 in Mumbai.

On November 7th, 2023, a thrilling cricket match between Australia and Afghanistan took place at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai as part of the World Cup 2023. The Afghanistan team, led by captain Hasmatullah Shahidi, won the toss and chose to bat first.

The opening batsmen for Afghanistan were Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran. They got off to a steady start.

| AUS vs AFG Scorecard | Points Table |

As the game progressed, Afghanistan maintained a steady pace, reaching a score of 100 runs in 20.2 overs. Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim Zadran formed a strong partnership, contributing to an unbeaten 58-run stand for the second wicket.

Afghanistan continued to perform well with Zadran leading the charge. Ibrahim Zadran became the first Afghan player to score a century in World Cup history, a remarkable achievement against a formidable Australian team. With some explosive batting from Rashid Khan in the end, Afghanistan scored 291 runs.

The Australian chase was completely in tatters as they lost Travis Head for a duck. The aggressive innings from Mitchell Marsh came to an end and the floodgates opened. Azmat Omarzai would dismiss David Warner and Josh Inglis in consecutive deliveries to leave them reeling at 49 for four.

Labuschagne, Stoinis and Starc also soon followed before Glenn Maxwell decided to take things into his own hands and turn the game on its head. A blistering 201 not out helped Australia pull off an improbable win on the night and dent Afghanistan hopes.

However, the semi-final dream isn’t over for the Afghan side.

How can Afghanistan qualify for the World Cup 2023 semi-finals?

Before the game, the ideal situation for Afghanistan was to win both matches. Well, one part of it is done and now they head to face South Africa in Ahmedabad. A win will ensure that they will have the upper hand in the equation, but that may not be enough.

Given their inferior run-rate to Pakistan and New Zealand, Afghanistan will need to beat South Africa by a big margin or hope both New Zealand and Pakistan lose their next matches.

Remaining match for Afghanistan:

vs South Africa on November 10 in Ahmedabad.

Remaining match for New Zealand:

vs Sri Lanka on November 9 in Bangalore.

Remaining match for Pakistan:

vs England on November 11 in Kolkata