WICKET! Australia 32-3 (Warner c Noor Ahmad b Nabi 3)

5th over: Australia 32-2 (Warner 3, Maxwell 11) Maxwell is showing signs that he could be about to return to haunt Afghanistan as Australia look to rebuild their innings. The right-handed dynamo flicks a boundary down the leg-side, then punishes a fuller delivery with a swipe to square leg for another four.

4th over: Australia 23-2 (Warner 3, Maxwell 3) Australia are looking to find their way back into the contest now as the experienced pair pick up ones and twos without taking any risks.

3rd over: Australia 18-2 (Warner 1, Maxwell 0) Naveen-ul-Haq has two wickets with Head and Marsh already back in the sheds. The Australia skipper had raced to 12 runs from seven balls with a sublime cover drive to the boundary but in a snapshot of his tournament so far was out a couple of balls later. That brings Afghanistan’s chief tormenter Glenn Maxwell to the crease but they will like where they stand at the moment with Australia already two down.

WICKET! Australia 16-2 (Marsh c Nabi b Naveen-ul-Haq 12)

2nd over: Australia 12-1 (Warner 0, Marsh 8) Fazalhaq Farooqi has the most wickets in the tournament but Mitch Marsh looks comfortable against him. A loosener down the leg-side touches only a pad on the way to the boundary, then the Australia skipper dispatches an in-swinger straight down the ground for four. Plenty of swing for Farooqi might worry Australia though.

1st over: Australia 1-1 (Warner 0, Marsh 1) Naveen-ul-Haq gets the early breakthrough and it is dangerman Travis Head that is on his way after taking just two balls to read the conditions then disregard anything that he had learned. The Afghanistan quick is moving the ball in the air and off the pitch for a superb start.

WICKET! Australia 0-1 (Head b Naveen-ul-Haq 0)

Travis Head will face the first ball with David Warner at the non-striker’s end and Naveen-ul-Haq at the top of his run up.

Australia let Afghanistan off the hook there with some sloppy fielding, but they might be happy to only be chasing 149 after Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran’s opening stand passed 100.

Afghanistan set a target of 149 runs

HAT-TRICK! Pat Cummins has done it again

WICKET! Afghanistan 141-5 (Janat c David b Cummins 13)

19th over: Afghanistan 141-4 (Janat 13, Nabi 4) Australia again fail to make the most of their chances and Afghanistan make them pay. Agar reminds us that he is a liability in the field today as a drive from Janat is skied but eventually fumbled into the grass. Karim later blasts a six down the leg-side, while Nabi adds four more with a drive off Hazlewood’s final ball as the Australian finishes with 0-39.

18th over: Afghanistan 126-4 (Janat 2, Nabi 0) David takes the catch to spare Travis Head’s blushes after the Australian grassed a diving chance in the deep. Seven runs and three wickets off the past two overs as Australia rein in Afghanistan just as they looked like pulling away.

WICKET! Afghanistan 126-4 (Rashid c David b Cummins 2)

17th over: Afghanistan 122-3 (Janat 1, Rashid 0) It’s little surprise that Adam Zampa is the bowler to pull Australia back into the game, as the leg-spinner claims two scalps to ensure Afghanistan have a pair of fresh batters at the crease for the final few overs. Zampa finishes with 2-28.

WICKET! Afghanistan 122-3 (Ibrahim c Marsh b Zampa 51)

WICKET! Afghanistan 121-2 (Azmatullah b Zampa 2)

16th over: Afghanistan 119-1 (Ibrahim 50, Azmatullah 1) Ibrahim brings up his half-cenury with a simple dab to long-on for one, then Gurbaz sends a slog to cow corner for six to add some spice between batter and bowler. But Stoinis finally has the last laugh when dismissing Gurbaz a couple of ball later. Can Afghanistan keep their momentum going after losing their first wicket?

WICKET! Afghanistan 118-1 (Gurbaz c Warner b Stoinis 60)

15th over: Afghanistan 109-0 (Gurbaz 52, Ibrahim 49) A much better over for Australia as Agar tightens up to only concede five runs. The spinner almost claims the much-needed breakthrough with a ball to Gurbaz that just did a bit too much. Gurbaz picks up a single from the next delivery to reach his third fifty of the tournament. Agar finishes with 0-17 from four overs to all but justify his selection at least with ball in hand.

Afghanistan reach 100 without loss

13th over: Afghanistan 96-0 (Gurbaz 48, Ibrahim 41) One of the more chaotic overs you will see as Zampa gets the ball turning but somehow the Afghanistan openers survive. Gurbaz starts it by clattering a monster six straight down the ground but Zampa fights back from there. Australia are supremely confident with a lbw appeal and send it upstairs as soon as it’s turned down. A subtle nick on the way through saves Gurbaz, but he is almost gone next ball after dancing down the pitch and flailing at the ball. Wade mishandles to present Afghanistan with another gift, then Agar fails to pick up the flight of the next ball as it bounces past him for a four.

12th over: Afghanistan 83-0 (Gurbaz 41, Ibrahim 36) DROPPED! It was a tough chance but one that Australia really needed to be grasped. Stoinis comes on for his first over and has a C&B chance as Ibrahim pops the ball back before the pacer is through his action and he can only throw an arm out. Among all the chaos, Afghanistan give Australia another half-chance of a run out but manage to pick up two. The over started with a powerful pull shot from Gurbaz that raced away for four.

11th over: Afghanistan 74-0 (Gurbaz 36, Ibrahim 32) The Afghanistan openers have Australia on the ropes and are pressing home their advantage with some electric running between wickets. Ibrahim smacks a boundary with a cut after giving himself plenty of room. Australia then have back-to-back run out chances but can’t quite make the most of either. The first comes as Gurbaz scampers back to the bowler’s end and dives to make it two, then Afghanistan almost repeat the play as Maxwell throws to the keeper but Ibrahim sneaks home.

10th over: Afghanistan 64-0 (Gurbaz 36, Ibrahim 22) Gurbaz ensures that Afghanistan finish the first period of play in style with perhaps the shot of the day so far. It was an exquisite slog sweep, if you can ever have such a thing, that was perfectly-placed between two Australian players on the rope. That will be drinks, the Afghanistan openers are still at the crease and we have an absolute cracker on our hands.

9th over: Afghanistan 56-0 (Gurbaz 29, Ibrahim 21) Zampa delivers one of the better overs for Australia but still concedes a handful of runs. It might have been a touch worse if not for some brilliant fielding in the deep from Pat Cummins after Gurbaz put a sweep away but a diving effort saved two runs.

8th over: Afghanistan 52-0 (Gurbaz 26, Ibrahim 20) Afghanistan’s nemesis Glenn Maxwell comes into the attack and finds some inconsistent bounce. The opening pair are looking comfortable now, finding runs without taking too much risk.

7th over: Afghanistan 48-0 (Gurbaz 25, Ibrahim 18) Australia turn to their chief strike bowler Adam Zampa with Afghanistan getting away from them. Gurbaz dispatches a loosener after dancing down the pitch but the openers are more cautious from there while nudging around for singles.

6th over: Afghanistan 40-0 (Gurbaz 19, Ibrahim 16) Afghanistan are on top here at the end of the powerplay, with Australia showing signs of unravelling in the field just as they did against Scotland. Agar fumbles a ball over the boundary for four at deep square leg, then Zampa almost turns the tables off the next delivery with a desperate dive on the rope that might have produced the catch of the tournament, but it instead bounces out of his hands for another four.

5th over: Afghanistan 29-0 (Gurbaz 17, Ibrahim 7) It’s feast or famine for the Afghanistan openers as Josh Hazleood switches ends. The Australia quick is getting movement off the seam but Gurbaz is undeterred, clobbering another six this time over long-on. Ibrahim then adds his first boundary of the innings with a simple flick off the pads.

4th over: Afghanistan 17-0 (Gurbaz 10, Ibrahim 2) SIX! Gurbaz finally opens up after scoring only four runs from the first 15 balls faced. Pat Cummins is into the attack and the Afghanistan opener plays with a watchful eye until unleashing at the last ball of the over to send it straight back over the pacer’s head.

3rd over: Afghanistan 11-0 (Gurbaz 4, Ibrahim 2) The conditions seem to be playing their part but Agar is also bowling well enough to justify his selection over Mitchell Starc on a sticky deck. Ibrahim picks up a couple through cover.

2nd over: Afghanistan 9-0 (Gurbaz 4, Ibrahim 0) Gurbaz finds the first runs off the bat but it takes an inside edge to make it happen. Josh Hazlewood bowls out five dot balls from there, and it hasn’t been the most convincing start from Afghanistan but they have still pushed out to nine runs.

1st over: Afghanistan 5-0 (Gurbaz 0, Ibrahim 0) A tidy start from Agar but Afghanistan pick up four with a ball that beats everyone and races to the boundary.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran are at the crease as Australia double down on their bowling change with finger-spinner Ashton Agar taking the new ball. Game on!

Afghanistan XI

Australia XI

Australia win the toss and elect to field

Form guide

Australia and Afghanistan have only previously faced one another in a single T20I, though that at least was a memorable encounter during the 2022 T20 World Cup.

Glenn Maxwell (54 not out from 32) and Mitch Marsh (45 from 30 balls) did the damage with the bat as Australia reached 168-8, then had Afghanistan on the ropes at 103-6 in the chase in Adelaide. That was until a late cameo from Rashid Khan (48 not out from 23) almost snatched a shock victory that would also have ended the hosts’ title defence.

Australia hung on to win by four runs but were knocked out the next day anyway, when England drew level on three wins but with a superior net run-rate to claim a semi-final spot on their way to the T20 World Cup crown.

It was admittedly in a different format but was still an all-time classic when the two sides faced off at last year’s 50-over World Cup. Australia were 91-7 chasing 292 when Maxwell (201 not out from 128) plundered the most outrageous unbeaten double-century to break Afghanistan hearts – ICYMI see more in the video below.

Maxwell has not had nearly the same sort of impact at this tournament, as Australia’s opening pair David Warner and Travis Head have dominated from the top of the order with Marcus Stoinis so far the most likely to add runs later on.

Afghanistan have also relied on fast starts from their top-order, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran both notching two half-centuries from five innings so far. Where the runs will come from if one or both of those 22-year-olds fall cheaply must be a concern against Australia’s three-pronged pace attack and white-ball wizard Adam Zampa.

The leg-spinner is yet again among the leading wicket-takers at an ICC event, this time with 11 scalps from five innings. Pat Cummins might have stolen the plaudits with his hat-trick against Bangladesh, but it was Zampa that picked up wickets at crucial times to ensure Australia made it a perfect five-wins-from-five at this T20 World Cup.

Afghanistan’s own spin magician Rashid is also within reach of the top of the wicket-taking table with nine victims so far, while their left-arm quick Fazalhaq Farooqi is out in front with 15.

Farooqi might have bolstered his tally against Uganda (5-9) and PNG (3-16), but showed he can also trouble the Test-playing nations when facing New Zealand (4-17) and India (3-33).

The toss and team news is coming shortly – but now is an ideal time to email your thoughts or get in touch on X @martinpegan, or just to remember Maxwell’s most incredible of knocks:

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