Australia’s skipper Mitchell Marsh backed Bangladesh in their Super 8 fixture against Afghanistan in hopes for a berth in the semi-final of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.
Australia faced a 24-runs defeat to India in their final Super 8 game on Monday, leaving them reliant on the result of the crucial game between Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
“It’s disappointing. Still technically a chance to go through, and today India got the better of us,” Mitchell Marsh said during a post-match interview.
“I think over the course of 40 overs there’s a lot of small margins, but honestly, India were the better team. We’ve seen for 15 years what Rohit Sharma can do in that kind of mood, and he got off to an absolute flier. In a run chase like that, you’re in it if you can keep it at tens for as long as possible, but India were too good for us. Come on, Bangladesh!” he added.
Chasing a target of 206, Australia’s lower batting order collapsed and fell short 24 runs to claim a victory in their must-win game against India at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet in St Lucia.
With this win, India have confirmed a place in the semi-final of the ongoing edition.
It is pertinent to mention that the loss to India dealt a major blow to Australia’s hopes for a place in the semi-final as Afghanistan will now need to defeat Bangladesh to qualify for the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2024.
Australia’s only chance to qualify for the next round is if Bangladesh defeat Afghanistan who won one out of their two games.
Australia and Afghanistan both have two points in the Group 1, however, the former have played all their games while the Asian side will take on Bangladesh on June 25.
Australia will be through to the semi-final, due to better net run-rate, if Bangladesh pull off a victory against Afghanistan.
Leave a Comment