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Australia kept their T20 World Cup campaign alive by the narrowest margins after beating Afghanistan by four runs at the Adelaide Oval on Friday night.
Player of the match Glenn Maxwell shot 54 from 32 balls to revive a faltering Aussie innings as the reigning World Champion Afghanistan took 169 to a win, before Adam Zampa took two wickets in three balls to end the chase for the visitors halve in a crucial phase.
The win temporarily moves Australia to second place in Group 1, but their net run rate remains much lower than England’s and we have to hope that Jos Buttler’s men lose at the Sri Lanka SCG on Saturday to reach the semi-finals. to achieve.
Here, Daily Mail Australia takes a look at who excelled and who disappointed when Australia narrowly crossed the line in Adelaide.
Glenn Maxwell shone as Australia defeated Afghanistan by four runs in Adelaide on Friday
David Warner – 4
The Aussie opener looked better than he’d ever done during the tournament, insofar as it helped Australia get off to the perfect start with 25 runs from 18 balls.
A combination of brilliant running and excellent shots – his 25 including five 4s – seemed to put Warner on track for a big score after a meager return of 19 from his first three innings in the tournament.
It made his decision to switch to batting as a right-hander against Naveen-ul-Haq even more puzzling, as the Afghan quickly rearranged his punches with a stunning off-cutter.
Warner’s attacking approach has made him such a successful batsman, but it felt like an unnecessary risk to take. Was the usual live wire in the field, catching Mohammad Nabi’s jab on deep square leg as Afghanistan’s middle order crumbled.
David Warner fell for 25 after a daring attempt at Naveen-ul-Haq. To hit
Cameron Green – 3.5
Promoted to senior rank in place of the injured Aaron Finch, Green was back in the barn with just over two overs over and three runs on the board after his attempt to cut Fazalhaq Farooqi found Gulbadin Naib on the trailing point.
Did much better with the ball and finished 0-13 after two tight overs.
Mitchell Marsh – 6.5
The veteran did what he does best, shifting through the gears to kickstart Australia’s innings. Marsh timed the ball beautifully to muster an entertaining 45 out of 30 balls, including three 4s and two 6s, before blasting one into the air while attempting to hoist spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman down the leg side.
Took a smart catch to remove Ibrahim Zadran from Adam Zampa’s bowling alley.
Steve Smith – 2.5
Much has been made of Australia’s decision to leave Smith out of the starting XI in their first four games of this World Cup. The debate is likely to continue after Smith’s innings lasted six minutes on Friday at the Adelaide Oval.
He hit a short throw from Naveen to the boundary, only for the next ball to hit his path. After much deliberation with Marsh, he chose a review that could never save him, because he was just LBW.
He almost made a great catch when he got his fingertips to the ball as he flew over the rope as Naib Kane hit Richardson for six.
Steve Smith lasted four balls before moving from LBW to Naveen after a failed review
Marcus Stoinis – 6
One of Australia’s in-form batters at this tournament couldn’t quite get into top gear when he tried to get the innings back on track with Glenn Maxwell. His 25 out of 21 included two 6s, but didn’t have the same fluidity of his record-breaking innings against Sri Lanka.
Caught on a retarded point of a fantastic bowling game by Rashid Khan, who then crushed him for 17 in the last over of Afghanistan’s innings when the tables turned.
Stoinis went for 13 in his two overs with no wicket.
Glenn Maxwell – 9
Deservedly named Player of the Match after a complete performance. Maxwell hit 54 runs off 32 balls, with six 4’s and two 6’s and a strike rate of 168.75 to ignite Australia’s innings first and then ensure they had a defensible total as there are regular wickets around him. fell away.
He was equally influential on the field, beating Gulbadin Naib with a sensational piece of fielding and catching Najibullah Zadran’s mistimed slog three balls later.
Maxwell scored the best for Australia with a brilliant 59 from 32 balls while the Aussies 168 . scored
He was then in the middle of the action in the field, knocking out Gulbadin Naib with a sensational piece of fielding and catching Najibullah Zadran’s mistimed hit.
Matthew Wade – 3.5
Reserve captain due to Finch’s injury, Wade struggled with timing as he made six of eight before Fazalhaq Farooqi blasted his stumps with a beauty.
Kept neatly enough and his decision to bring Zampa back for his last over in the 14th over of the game was justified as Australia took three wickets in four balls to change the game.
Pat Cummins – 4.5
The Australian Test captain surprisingly kept his place on the side, while Mitchell Starc fell instead. A second ball duck as Australia’s innings drew to a close proved insignificant and he finished his four overs with a score of 0-22, his best in the tournament to date.
Wickets, however, were again hard to come by for Cummins, who has only won three in this World Cup. Took a good dive catch to clear Usman Ghani in the third over.
Kane Richardson – 3
Richardson, a surprise addition to Mitchell Starc, added only a single to the scoreboard before running out of himself.
He made a brilliant start with the ball, creating a great chance with his first throw, which dropped Cameron Green, and two balls later removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
That was as good as it got for the fast bowler, who lost his height and finished his four overs with numbers from 1-48.
Adam Zampa – 7.5
Adam Zampa (right) was the Australian bowlers’ favorite in Adelaide on Friday night
Zampa scored only one run, but that allowed Maxwell to go on strike for the last five balls of the Australian innings, which resulted in a crucial eight runs.
The leg spinner was then the choice of the Australian bowlers, who beautifully mixed up his line and length to harass the Afghan batter.
He finished 2-22 in four overs and took two wickets in three balls as Australia struggled to regain control of the match in the 14th.
Josh Hazlewood – 5.5
Took the new ball and bounced back well after hitting before 10 from the opening, finishing with two wickets but at a pricey 8.25.
Probably would have benefited from having Mitchell Starc on the other side.