ODI World Cup 2023 Cricket News

'Dil dil Afghanistan' - Fans react as Australia stumble to 49/4 while defending 291 runs against Afghanistan in ODI World Cup 2023

Afghanistan is all over Australia at the moment, as they reduce them to 49/4 while defending 291 runs in Mumbai's Wankhede stadium in the ODI World Cup 2023.

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Sarah Andrew
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Afghanistan

Afghanistan vs Australia (Source: Twitter)

Afghanistan is all over Australia at the moment in Mumbai's Wankhede stadium in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023. In a crucial game to win, Afghanistan came all guns blazing against the five-time world champions right from the word go. Opting to bat first, Afghanistan scored 291 runs against a good bowling attack of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa, and Glenn Maxwell. 

History was created in the match, as Afghanistan registered their highest score in the ODI World Cup. Ibrahim Zadran created history too, as he became the first batter from Afghanistan to score a hundred in the World Cup. With some good finishing from Rashid Khan and Zadran, Afghanistan ended up with a huge total on the board. It was a great batting performance from Afghanistan.

But with the ball, Afghanistan has been equally good. On a two-paced wicket in Mumbai, the Afghanistan pacers made the best use of the conditions and dismissed the top-order batters of Australia. They made powerplay their own, as they reduced Australia to 49/4 within the first 10 overs, which included the wickets of some of the best batters in the world. 

Naveen-ul-Haq and Azmatullah Omarzai strike for Afghanistan

The Afghanistani pacers made the best use of the conditions. With their seam bowling, the duo of Naveen-ul-Haq and Azmatullah Omarzai caused huge troubles to Australia. With the new ball, Naveen got rid of Travis Head in just the second ball. After a brief cameo, Mitchell Marsh had to depart as well. Naveen got two big wickets for Afghanistan, which caused genuine concerns in the dugout.

As Naveen attacked from his end, Azmatullah wreaked havoc from his end. The medium pacer got the big wicket of David Warner and sent shockwaves to the Australian dugout. The very next ball, Omarzai dismissed Josh Inglis for a golden duck. it put Afghanistan in a dominating position in the match. As a bonus, Afghanistan got the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne via a runout. It now leaves Australia with the last recognized batting pair. 

Here's how the fans reacted to the performance of Afghanistan: 

 

Australia Afghanistan ODI World Cup 2023