Australia ease to a comfortable win over Afghanistan in T20 World Cup opener
In a one-sided affair, Australia got their T20 World Cup campaign off to a flying start, crushing Afghanistan by 7 wickets at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday. The 11-run victory was a testament to the Aussies’ dominance, as they restricted the Afghans to a meager 116 and then chased it down with ease.
Sent in to bat first, Afghanistan’s top-order batsmen struggled against the Australian pace attack, led by Mitchell Starc, who picked up 3 wickets to further seal their fate. The Afghans managed to limp to 116 in 19.5 overs, with only Hazratullah Zazai (44) showing some semblance of resistance.
Australia’s openers, David Warner (35 off 23) and Aaron Finch (35 off 22), then set the tone for the chase with a brisk 55-run partnership, before Aaron Finch fell to Najibullah Zadran. The Australian skipper’s wicket, however, didn’t deter the run-chase, as Glenn Maxwell (33 off 23) and Steve Smith (20 off 15) steered the team to victory with ease.
"I think the boys did a great job up front, restricting them to 116, and our middle-order batsmen did a fantastic job in chasing it down. We’ve got a great squad, and it’s always good to get the job done," Australia captain Aaron Finch said after the match.
The victory, Australia’s 22nd in a row in T20Is, sets them up nicely for the rest of the tournament, where they will look to continue their dominance. For Afghanistan, despite a valiant effort from Hazratullah Zazai, it was a disappointing start to their campaign.
"Today was a tough game, but we’ll learn from our mistakes and come back stronger. We’ve got a tough schedule ahead, but we’ll give it our best shot," Afghanistan captain, Asghar Afghan, said.
The win sets up an intriguing encounter between these two teams in the group stages, with both sides looking to top their respective groups and make a deep run in the tournament.
Scoreboard:
Afghanistan 116 (Hazratullah Zazai 44; Mitchell Starc 3/13, Josh Hazlewood 2/25)
Australia 118/3 (David Warner 35, Aaron Finch 35, Glenn Maxwell 33*)
Result: Australia won by 7 wickets.
