Afghanistan National Cricket Team vs Australian Men’s Cricket Team Match Scorecard: Cricket, once upon a time, was called the gentleman’s game. How much has it changed in all these years? At the top of the list are several changes, including the rise of Afghanistan as a serious cricketing nation in international cricket. What was earlier a war-torn nation has turned into a dynamic and fiercely competitive cricketing outfit—truly an inspirational story for any individual who has eyes and a head to think. On the other side, cricket in Australia boasts a long history, and the Australian team is the most successful ever to play cricket; hence, it has always been one of the powerhouses within the cricketing world.
This is a hypothetical scenario of a pulsating ODI between Afghanistan and Australia at a neutral venue on a well-balanced pitch: something in it for the batsman and bowlers. This is a battle of skills, yes, but more than anything else, cricketing cultures—in fact, resilience and supremacy.
Preview
The teams arrive at the stadium amidst great anticipation. It is the most experienced lineup of Australia who are perceived to be the favorites, but Afghanistan is known for their fighting spirit. So is determined to make a statement. Pitch report suggests this could be a dry surface, one that might turn later in the game and in doing so, giving Afghanistan an edge with their world-class spin attack.
Teams
Australia: David Warner, Aaron Finch (c), Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon
Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan (c), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Hamid Hassan.
Toss
Australia has won the toss and will bat first, relying upon their good batting strength to post a decent score on the board. The Afghan captain does not seem hassled; he believes his side has enough in the tank to contain the Aussies and chase down any target set by them.
First Innings: Australian Batting
David Warner and Aaron Finch walked into the wicket to start off well; so were Afghanistan’s opening bowlers, Naveen-ul-Haq and Hamid Hasan, who wanted to begin right away consistently, therefore, making it difficult for the Australian openers to get runs under their belt. However, typical of Warner’s aggressive style, it broke loose in no time with a flurry of boundaries.
The solitary breakthrough comes at 78 runs: when Hamid Hassan bowls a superb bouncer, Finch—trying to hook—top-edges to fine leg. That was Afghanistan’s first breaking-through wicket, and the energy stepped into the fielding side.
Warner is joined by Steven Smith, the two rotating the strike and punishing the loose deliveries coming their way. The partnership is blooming, and just when Australia looked good for a big total, in comes Rashid Khan. He gets rid of Warner with a classic leg-spinner ball that turned just that little bit too much, beating a prod outside the off. Down goes Warner for a well-made 67.
It doesn’t stop here, as Rashid continues to magic again: Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell, gone in the flicker of an eye. Smith, trying to force matters, mistimes a sweep straight into the hands of short fine leg. Maxwell, going by his usual mode of destruction, departs to a googly—misjudgment of the turn and cleaned up.
They lose wickets one after the other in a heap, with just Marcus Stoinis showing some fight. But the tail is wrapped up by Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Gulbadin Naib to not let go of the pressure, with Australia ending up making only 245 on the board, 2 balls to spare.
Australian Innings Scorecard
| Batsman | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Dismissal |
| David Warner | 67 | 82 | 8 | 2 | Bowled (Rashid Khan) |
| Aaron Finch (c) | 34 | 45 | 4 | 1 | Caught (Naveen) |
| Steven Smith | 52 | 76 | 5 | 0 | Caught (Mujeeb) |
| Glenn Maxwell | 12 | 14 | 2 | 0 | Bowled (Rashid Khan) |
| Marcus Stoinis | 41 | 49 | 3 | 1 | Caught (Rahmat Shah) |
| Alex Carey (wk) | 15 | 22 | 1 | 0 | Caught (Shahidi) |
| Pat Cummins | 8 | 12 | 1 | 0 | Bowled (Gulbadin Naib) |
| Mitchell Starc | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | LBW (Mujeeb) |
| Adam Zampa | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | Run out (Rashid Khan) |
| Josh Hazlewood | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | Bowled (Hamid Hassan) |
| Nathan Lyon | 0* | 1 | 0 | 0 | Not out |
| Extras | 15 | (4b, 3lb, 6w, 2nb) | – | – | – |
| Total | 245 | 49.4 overs | – | – | All out |
Afghanistan Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
| Naveen-ul-Haq | 8 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 5.75 |
| Hamid Hassan | 8.4 | 1 | 43 | 2 | 4.96 |
| Rashid Khan (c) | 10 | 0 | 52 | 3 | 5.20 |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | 10 | 2 | 37 | 2 | 3.70 |
| Gulbadin Naib | 7 | 0 | 37 | 2 | 5.28 |
| Mohammad Nabi | 6 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 5.00 |
Second Innings: Afghanistan’s Chase
Afghanistan’s chase of 246 began cautiously by Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz at the firing end of the bowlers from Australia in the opening overs. Both Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are operating quick and precise spells, making it difficult for the batters to score. But Zazai, a big hitter, who has scored the most, finally came to the fore and was dispatching the bowlers, hitting regularly to the fence.
Australia strikes first when Hazlewood, with a peach of a delivery angled across, gets Gurbaz, caught behind for 18. In came the next man for Afghanistan, their batting anchor in Rahmat Shah. He steadies the ship with Zazai. Now, it just builds upon the match with Zazai being the aggressor and Rahmat constantly rotating the strike.
Afghanistan are 124/1 at the halfway stage, with another 122 required from 25 overs. Things look rosy for the Afghans, but when Adam Zampa comes in, the balance starts to be tipped back. Zazai goes LBW for 73 to yet another Zampa wrong’un—the quick change ball brings Australia back into the game once more.
This time the middle order was tested firm, with Nathan Lyon bowling in tandem. Not picking away the deceits put forth by Lyon, the Afghan batters succumbed. After Rahmat Shah was dismissed for 46, the next to fall was Hashmatullah Shahidi and Mohammad Nabi as Afghanistan is now tottering at 176/5. Najibullah and Gulbadin Naib took charge and batted sensibly to target the weaker bowlers. The equation came down to 20 needed off the final two overs. Starc, who had looked fearful of Najib for most of the innings, was brought back for his last over, but this time he took the latter head-on, hitting a very vital six over mid-wicket.
Afghanistan need 6 from the last over. Here comes the best death bowler there is for Australia. It’s Pat Cummins. And on strike is Gulbadin Naib, and he ends it with style as the ball rushes to the boundary. What a match. Afghanistan has won a heist today, and they win their first-ever match against Australia on the penultimate ball.
Also read: Bangladesh National Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team Match Scorecard
Afghanistan Innings Scorecard
| Batsman | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Dismissal |
| Hazratullah Zazai | 73 | 89 | 9 | 2 | LBW (Adam Zampa) |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk) | 18 | 30 | 2 | 0 | Caught (Carey) |
| Rahmat Shah | 46 | 65 | 4 | 0 | Caught (Warner) |
| Hashmatullah Shahidi | 12 | 16 | 1 | 0 | Bowled (Nathan Lyon) |
| Mohammad Nabi | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | LBW (Adam Zampa) |
| Najibullah Zadran | 35* | 31 | 3 | 1 | Not out |
| Gulbadin Naib | 29* | 21 | 2 | 1 | Not out |
| Rashid Khan (c) | DNB | – | – | – | – |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | DNB | – | – | – | – |
| Naveen-ul-Haq | DNB | – | – | – | – |
| Hamid Hassan | DNB | – | – | – | – |
| Extras | 22 | (7b, 5lb, 8w, 2nb) | – | – | – |
| Total | 246/5 | 49.4 overs | – | – | Won by 5 wickets |
Australian Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
| Mitchell Starc | 10 | 1 | 52 | 0 | 5.20 |
| Josh Hazlewood | 10 | 2 | 44 | 1 | 4.40 |
| Pat Cummins | 9.4 | 0 | 55 | 0 | 5.69 |
| Adam Zampa | 10 | 0 | 45 | 2 | 4.50 |
| Nathan Lyon | 10 | 1 | 40 | 2 | 4.00 |
Post-Match Analysis
This fictional match highlights the unpredictable nature of cricket, where an underdog can upset a giant on any given day. Afghanistan’s victory over Australia symbolizes their growing stature in world cricket. Rashid Khan’s captaincy, the bowlers’ disciplined effort, and a collective batting performance scripted a memorable win.
The Afghan spin trio blew apart a potent Australian line-up that could not defend the small target on a difficult wicket. This game just went out to show, as all other games, that this game is a game played on extremely thin margins.
It is a make-believe scenario where the spirit of cricket does exist: here, any emerging team can take on any established powerhouse. This win was going to be for the fanatical hoops in Afghanistan as much as it was going to be for the cricketing world at large, which believes that with grit and teamwork, even the most imperious may be felled.