Records toppled one after another during the Super 8 clash between Australia and Afghanistan in the ongoing T20 World Cup at Arnos Vale Ground.
Both teams got what they wanted after Australia won the toss and put Afghanistan to bat. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran came out to open for the Asian side. They took their time scoring run-a-ball for the majority of the game.
They broke the shackles, Gurbaz and Zardan escalated towards the end and went on to forge a 118-run stand.
This was the third hundred-run opening stand between the duo in the ongoing T20 World Cup. None of the other openers of other teams have managed to do it once throughout the tournament.
With their third hundred-plus partnership, this is the most achieved by a duo in a single edition of the tournament.
Overall they are tied with the Pakistan duo of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan for hundred-plus partnerships in the history of the marquee event.
Against Australia, this was the third-highest partnership stitched up against them in the history of the tournament.
The West Indies duo of Chris Gayle and Andre Fletcher forged a 133-run opening partnership at The Oval, in 2009.
Australia made a comeback by breaking the partnership through their standout performer Marcus Stoinis.
After Gurbaz’s dismissal, the Afghanistan line-up fell like a house of cards. Australia’s ace in the hole Adam Zampa stuck twice in the 17th over to derail Afghanistan’s innings.
The game saw Pat Cummins becoming the first bowler to take back-to-back hat-tricks in T20Is. He achieved the feat against Bangladesh in the first Super 8 game and went on to pull it off against Afghanistan.
He claimed the wickets of Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan, Karim Janat and Gulbadin Naib to complete the hat-trick.
Before Cummins, there were only four players who had claimed two hat-tricks in T20Is. Sri Lanka pacer Lasith Malinga, New Zealand quick Tim Southee, Serbia’s Mark Pavlovic and Malta’s Waseem Abbas have achieved the feat before Cummins.
Zampa removed the set-batter Zardan (51) and castled Azmatullah (2) in a single over.
This was the 16th consecutive innings he walked away with at least one wicket in the T20 World Cup. He is tied with South Africa speedster Anrich Nortje who is also on a streak of picking at least one wicket in 16 consecutive innings.
A spirited performance from Australia forced Afghanistan to fold on 148/6. (ANI)
