Afghanistan secured a spot in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2024 after defeating Bangladesh by 8 runs (DLS) in a dramatic Super 8 match on Tuesday, June 25, at the Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown, St. Vincent.

Following the win, Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan shared that their confidence in reaching the semi-finals was sparked by their victory over New Zealand in the group stage. “It’s a dream for us to be in the semifinals. The way we started the tournament, the belief came when we beat New Zealand. It’s unbelievable,” Rashid said at the post-match presentation.

Prior to beating Bangladesh, Afghanistan also achieved a historic win over the 2021 champions, Australia, in the Super 8 round. This victory has set up a semi-final match against South Africa on June 26 in Trinidad.

Against Bangladesh, Afghanistan managed to post a modest total of 115/5. However, the bowling attack, led by Naveen Ul Haq (4-26) and Rashid Khan (4-23), secured a thrilling win in the rain-affected match.

“We thought 130-135 was a good score but we fell 15 runs short. We knew they would come hard at us and we knew that is what we could take advantage of. We didn’t need to do anything extra, just be clear in our plans,” Rashid explained.

The pace duo of Naveen and Fazalhaq Farooqi have consistently troubled batters with the new ball throughout the tournament, and Rashid expressed his satisfaction. “In T20s if you get a good start, it helps us in the middle overs. They have given great starts to us in the whole competition. It makes it easier for us to go harder at the batsmen. They have delivered, they were very clear in their minds,” he said.

Regarding the multiple rain interruptions that shortened the match, Rashid stated they were mentally prepared to take all 10 wickets. “Rain is something not in our hands but mentally we knew we have to play 20 overs and take 10 wickets. That’s the only way we could win. But Gulbadin, he had some cramps. But his wicket was invaluable to us,” he added.

Rashid Khan anticipates huge celebrations back home as the Afghanistan team qualified for the semi-finals for the first time in any ICC tournament. “It’s a big achievement for us as well. We have done that at U-19 level but at this World Cup, I don’t have any words to describe the feeling back home. We have to go into the semis with a very clear mind and make sure we enjoy the occasion,” he remarked.

Brian Lara had predicted Afghanistan would reach the semi-finals, and Rashid expressed pride in proving the West Indies legend right. “The only guy who put us in the semifinals was Brian Lara and we proved him right. When we met him at a welcome party, I told him we won’t let you down,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto admitted that their batting let them down once again. “We bowled really well. As a bowling unit we did a lot of good things. But as a batting unit we made some poor decisions especially in the middle overs,” Shanto said. “The whole tournament, we bowled really well, especially Rishad, the new guy, came and bowled really well. I am really happy for him. As a batting unit we really need to improve a lot.”