Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to Afghanistan's win vs Australia in 2024 T20 World Cup ft. Dinesh Karthik

Afghanistan kept their nerves to seal a terrific 21-run victory against Australia in a crucial T20 World Cup 2024 clash on Sunday (June 23). The victory helped them stay alive in the race for the semi-finals of the showpiece event.

Batting first, Afghanistan posted a defendable target of 148 on the board, with contributions from Rahmanullah Gurbaz (60) and Ibrahim Zadran (51). Pat Cummins (3/28) and Adam Zampa (2/28) were the top bowlers for Australia.

In response, the Australian side crumbled under pressure to get all-out for 127 with Gulbadin Naib (4/20) and Naveen-ul-Haq (3/20) as the top performers. Although Glenn Maxwell (59) tried well, his dismissal turned the game on its head.

On that note, let's take a look at the top reactions to Afghanistan's sensational victory over Australia.

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#1 Brad Haddin hails Afghanistan openers for their positive intent

Former Australian wicket-keeper Brad Haddin shed light on the terrific 118-run partnership between Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, which laid a strong foundation for the Afghanistan team. According to Haddin, both batters communicated well and perfectly planned to attack certain bowlers.

In a Willow Talk podcast, Haddin said:

"I think they earned the right to play the way that they wanted to play. Yes, on the surface 118 it looks like they dominated the game, but they worked their way into that partnership. They they ran really hard between wickets and looked like they were communicating which bowlers they were going to go after."

He added:

"The running between wickets was a high quality thathey put pressure back on Australia and we probably didn't enjoy that as much as we should, as we saw some drop catches and a couple of missed chances."

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#2 "Gulbadin Naib certainly did deliver for Rashid Khan" - Tom Moody

In an interaction on ESPNcricinfo, Tom Moody heaped praise on Gulbadin Naib for delivering goods on the promise of skipper Rashid Khan. Naib arrived into the attack by Rashid in the 11th over, and he went on to dismiss Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Tim David and Pat Cummins.

As per Moody, the accuracy and variation of Naib helped Afghanistan to turn the game in Afghanistan's favor. He said:

"You wouldn't think he would have bowled a lot given the balance of the attack. They had four spinners, Farooqi and Naveen as well. So, you'd think that he'd be the last person they would call upon to bowl.

"But, his accuracy and subtle change of pace was exactly the tonic that was required on that surface and Australia were under pressure because when he came on to bowl they were needing eight and a half and on a surface where that was not going to be easy."

Moody added:

"You'd have to sort of take your hat off to Rashid Khan for turning to Gulbadin to you know to have the impact that he had and he certainly did deliver for his captain."

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#3 "I love all the skills the Afghan seamers have" - Dale Steyn

The former Proteas pacer, Dale Steyn shared his thoughts on the Afghanistan seamers, who put the Australian top order under pressure by sticking to their strengths. Steyn thinks the pacers demonstrated terrific control and were never predictable with their line and lengths.

Here's what the legendary pacer tweeted:

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#4 Dinesh Karthik thinks Naveen-ul-Haq's opening spell was a turning point of the game

The former Indian wicket-keeper, Dinesh Karthik lauded the skills of Naveen-ul-Haq, and felt that his opening spell to dismiss Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh opened the floodgates.

During the post-game review on Cricbuzz, Karthik said:

"Naveen-ul-Haq bowled brilliantly at the start by dismissing Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh. He created all the trouble and that has been the turning point. How well the fast bowlers bowled and helped Afghanistan and helped them win the historic game."

Furthermore, Karthik pointed out Naib's consistent line-lengths and improvement as a bowler.

"Gulbadin Naib picked a wicket in every over he bowled, and what was so impressive in his spell was how consistently he hit the lengths.Today, it was his time to show how much he has improved with the ball."

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#5 Former mentor Ajay Jadeja hails Afghanistan's historic win

Ajay Jadeja, the former Indian batter, took to X to applaud Afghanistan players' and team management's efforts to secure their biggest-ever victory against Australia. He thinks along with the players, head coach Jonathan Trott and bowling coach Dwayne Bravo must be appreciated.

Interestingly, Jadeja served as a mentor to the Afghanistan side during their 2023 ODI World Cup campaign.