T20 World Cup 2022: Afghanistan - the brave underdogs who almost beat three top teams

A quick look at their campaign doesn’t paint a pretty picture. They only got two points on the board because they suffered the ignominy of two washouts. And they lost their remaining three games. 

However, a closer look at those matches shows they ran three top teams very closely. Indeed, if not for a few small moments, they might have won those games. 

They took the game against England – the defending ODI world champions – deep, causing them trouble during the second innings. 

England were always favourites, given a Sam Curran five-wicket haul saw Afghanistan restricted to a paltry 112 in their first innings. 

But the fact that Afghanistan dismissed was that five of England’s batters forced them to take the game deep, and England could only seal the win in the second ball of the 19th over. 

The one factor that went against them in that game, aside from their batting, was their fielding – there were too many basic misfields, apart from a couple of dropped catches. 

And after successive rain washouts that denied them the chance to play New Zealand and Ireland – the latter a match that the Afghans would have fancied their chances against – they took on Sri Lanka. 

The Lankans, worth remembering, are the defending Asia Cup champions and are not a side to be taken lightly. Yet once again, it was Afghanistan’s batting that let them down. 

They could only post 144-8 in their 20 overs, but some good tight bowling early on meant that Sri Lanka was only 63-2 in the first ten overs of their innings. 

They could have capitulated from there but kept their heads – yet even they needed to take the game to the 19th over to win it. 

And then came Australia, where Afghanistan played arguably their best cricket. Restricting the hosts and defending T20I champions to 168-7 gave them a fighting chance of a win. 

Indeed, when Gulbadin Naib was going all guns blazing in the middle overs, it seemed an upset – and Australia’s campaign coming to an end – were very much on the cards. 

The Aussies got rid of Gulbadin Naib but were almost undone by a partnership between Rashid Khan and Darwish Rasooli. While Darwish Rasooli played the anchor, Rashid Khan went all guns blazing. 

In an Adelaide ground he knows so well, thanks to his exploits with the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League, Rashid Khan belted the Aussie bowlers around the park. 

His 48 off 23 balls very nearly caused an upset, but in the end, Australia won by four runs to stay alive in the world cup.

Yet it was Afghanistan’s performances that won hearts. And proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they have the potential to be a force to be reckoned with in white-ball cricket.