IMAGES from the ICC World Cup match played between Australia and Afghanistan at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday
- SCORECARD
Ibrahim Zadran maintains his consistent ability to find the boundary.
In the 15th over, Australia introduces Adam Zampa into the bowling attack.
Zadran impressively records his second fifty of the World Cup, reaching the milestone in just 63 deliveries.
Mitchell Starc’s bowling is causing the ball to swing effectively in both directions, adding an extra layer of challenge for the batsmen.
Ibrahim Zadran, in the third over of the game, managed to secure the first boundary, injecting some momentum into Afghanistan’s innings.
As the match progressed, Glenn Maxwell was introduced into the bowling attack during the seventh over, aiming to add variety to the Australian attack.
During this period of play, Australia opted to use up one of their review opportunities for a caught-behind appeal against Zadran.
In a significant breakthrough, it was Josh Hazlewood who successfully dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who had contributed 21 runs to Afghanistan’s total.
Earlier, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and elected to bat in their World Cup group match against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday.
Five-times champions Australia made a slow start to the 50-overs showpiece event with defeats in their opening two games but a win over their South Asian rivals will cement their spot in the semi-finals.
Three consecutive victories have also put the Afghans in contention for a spot in the knockout stages and victories in their remaining two fixtures would guarantee them a semi-final place.
All-rounders Mitch Marsh and Glenn Maxwell returned to the Australia side after missing the win over England. Steve Smith, who complained of suffering from a bout of vertigo before the match, was ruled out and Cameron Green was dropped.
Afghanistan also made one change to their side from the win over the Netherlands with seamer Naveen-ul-Haq replacing Fazalhaq Farooqi.
- World Cup 2023
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