Australia have made their job of reaching the T20 World Cup semi-final tougher with the 21-run loss to Afghanistan on Sunday. Australia captain Mitchell Marsh after the match acknowledged that his team were outplayed by the Afghans, claiming that they gave away 20 runs more than they would have liked.
Bowling first not a factor: Mitchell Marsh
“They probably got 20 too many. Lot of teams have bowled first in this tournament. Don’t think it was won or lost at the toss. We had an off night on the field. Wasn’t the easiest of wickets but both teams played on it. As I said, we got outplayed today. We just need to win and there’s no better team to do it against,” Marsh said after the match.
Aussies in danger of getting ousted
With Australia playing India and Afghanistan playing Bangladesh in the last round of matches in the Super 8, a slip up could see the Aussies get knocked out of the tournament. They might get ousted with a win too, if Afghanistan win their last game and their net run rate remains lower than both India and Afghanistan.
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Afghans in strong position to seal semi-final berth
On the other hand, the win presents a perfect opportunity for Afghanistan to reach the semi-final. A win over Bangladesh in their final Super 8 tie coupled with Australia’s loss to India could see them qualify for the semis. Even if Australia and Afghanistan both win their last match, Afghans could qualify for the semis provided they have a better net run-rate than either Australia or India.
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