They bowl Australia out for 127 and seal their first victory over Australia across formats. Afghanistan's win keeps them alive in this T20 World Cup and leaves Australia and India waiting to secure their spot in the final four.
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Afghanistan stop Maxwell
There was a feeling of deja vu for Afghanistan, but they've managed to stop Maxwell in St Vincent. They needed a moment of brilliance, and Noor has provided them with that, diving forward to pluck the ball, inches from the ground. Naib lets out an almighty roar and the Afghan fans in the crowd roar with him. Maxwell gone for 59 off 41 balls. Afghanistan pull ahead even further in the next over after Rashid draws a miscue from Wade. Australia are 108 for 7 at the start of the 16th over.
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Fifty for Maxwell
He gets there off just 35 balls on a tough pitch that continues to offer big turn and variable bounce. Maxwell gives the thumbs-up in a rather subdued celebration. He knows that the job is still unfinished.
Gulbadin strikes and flexes his muscles. He digs one into the middle of the pitch and gleans trampoline bounce, which surprises Stoinis, who has a flap at it and top-edges it behind to Gurbaz.
Afghanistan's spinners erred full and gave Maxwell and Stoinis scoring opportunities, so Rashid tries to shake things up by bringing Gulbadin as his eighth bowler. And Gulbadin responds with the big scalp of Stoinis for 11 off 17 balls. Afghanistan are still in this
Afghanistan are very much in this. Gulbadin ducks one back into the pads of David and wins an lbw appeal from umpire Raza. David chats with Maxwell and reviews it, but ball-tracking returns umpire's call on clipping leg stump, which means David has to go. Australia are 85 for 5 in the 13th over.
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Nabi strikes first ball to snag Warner
Warner was 3 off 7 balls after five overs. He watched Head and Marsh fall from the other end. He then watched Maxwell pull off one of his trick shots for six.
Warner now tries to clear the boundary but miscues a slog-sweep to short fine leg as Nabi strikes with his very first ball. Nabi and Noor combine for this wicket. Along with captain Rashid, they will have a lot more to do with the ball, if Afghanistan are to stay alive in this T20 World Cup. Rookie spinner Kharote is in the mix too
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Marsh gone
Australia have been reduced to 16 for 2 in the third over.
After Marsh belted a quick, seam-up ball over extra-cover for four, Naveen slows it up to 108.2kph and challenges Marsh to manufacture his own pace. But the Australia captain can't quite do that and slices a catch to Nabi at mid-off. Dwayne Bravo, Afghanistan's bowling consultant and the master of slower balls, would've been proud of that variation from Naveen.
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Naveen rips out Head
Travis Head falls for a duck. This is the perfect start for Afghanistan in their defence of 148.
After taking the first two balls away from Head, Naveen threatens to bring one back into the batter. It angles in towards leg stump with the angle from around the wicket but swings away late, perhaps seams away late too, to ping middle stump. Unplayable stuff. Warner then steps out to Naveen but is beaten on the outside edge. Are Afghanistan onto something in St Vincent?
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Another hat-trick for Cummins
He wasn't aware of the feat in the last game against Bangladesh, but Cummins surely knows it today. He puts his hands up even before Maxwell takes the catch at deep midwicket. Hat-tricks in back-to-back games at a World Cup!
Cummins has dismissed Rashid, Janat and Gulbadin across the 18th and 20th overs. It could've been four in four in this game had Warner not seemingly lost the ball under lights and dropped Nabi. Despite the late strikes from Australia, Afghanistan have put up a competitive 148 for 6.
Australia need 149 to secure their semi-final spot. An Australia win will also KO Afghanistan and confirm India's place in the final four.
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Australia's belated strikes
Australia had to wait until the 16th over for a breakthrough, but they have finally managed to separate Gurbaz and Ibrahim. It's the longest they've had to wait for a breakthrough in T20Is.
One brings two like London buses. Stoinis has Gurbaz holing out with an into the offcutter for 60 and gives him a send-off. In the next over, Zampa knocks Omarzai over with a slider for 2.
One brings three. In that same over, Zampa bounces Ibrahim out for 51. Zampa digs it into the deck - it's a proper bouncer from a spinner, leaving Wade taking evasive action - and has Ibrahim splicing a catch to Marsh at point. Afghanistan are 122 for 3 in 17 overs.
Gurbaz and Ibrahim have had some luck along the way, which you need on these pitches, and they've capitalised on their chances. Both openers have reached fifties and are looking good for more.
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All-action over from Zampa
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This is the 13th over, bowled by Zampa. The first legal ball of the over was launched straight by Gurbaz for six. Zampa responded by skidding a wrong'un into Gurbaz's pads, but an inside edge saves the batter. The next ball from Zampa is also a wrong'un, which drags Gurbaz out of his crease, but Wade fluffs a stumping chance. Two balls later, Agar fumbles in the deep and gives up four. Australia are feeling the heat in St Vincent
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Gurbaz, Ibrahim get going
This is a particularly challenging pitch in Kingstown, offering biiiig turn and bounce, but Afghanistan come out of the powerplay unscathed. They are 40 for 0 in six overs.
Gurbaz jumps out of the crease and pumps Cummins over his head for six. Ibrahim then scythes Cummins wide of deep backward point with similar attacking enterprise for four more. Zampa can only finger-tip it away to the boundary. Afghanistan's openers have picked up the pace after a slow start.
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Agar finds turn and bounce with new ball
"Nice, Larry!" is the cry from Wade for the most part of the first three overs. Against two right-hand batters, Agar finds finds sharp turn, and even sharper bounce with the new ball, and largely keeps the stumps in play. Hazlewood and Cummins are also generating steep bounce on this fresh St Vincent pitch. Agar's figures are 2-1-2-0. Gurbaz and Ibrahim are desperate to break free in the powerplay.
Here's our stats guru Sampath Bandarupalli: 21 dot balls by Afghanistan batters in four overs, the joint-second most by any team at the men's T20 World Cup in the first four. Uganda batters had 22 dots vs New Zealand earlier this year, while Kenya also had 21 vs NZ in 2007
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Australia bring back Agar and bowl first
Mitch Marsh wins the toss and chooses to bowl first. The decision goes down well with Rashid, who says Afghanistan wanted to bat first anyway. Australia make a conditions-based change, with left-arm fingerspinner Ashton Agar replacing left-arm fast bowler Mitch Starc. Agar will have a right-hander heavy Afghanistan line-up to work with on a spin-friendly pitch. Ricky Ponting reckons Agar might even take the new ball in Starc's absence.
Afghanistan make two changes: Karim Janat and Nangeyalia Kharote replace Hazratullah Zazai and Najibullah Zadran.
Australia XI: 1 David Warner, 2 Travis Head, 3 Mitchell Marsh(capt), 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Tim David, 7 Matthew Wade(wk), 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Ashton Agar, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood
The last time Australia faced Afghanistan, this happened. All eyes will be on Glenn Maxwell once again. After a tough IPL and tough start to the T20 World Cup, he found his groove against Bangladesh although he faced just six balls in that rain-hit fixture in North Sound. There might be some rain around in Kingstown as well. If Australia beat Afghanistan, both they and India will qualify for the semis.
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Language
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Win Probability
AFG 100%
AFGAUS100%50%100%
Over 20 • AUS 127/10
Adam Zampa c Mohammad Nabi b Azmatullah Omarzai 9 (7b 1x4 0x6 15m) SR: 128.57