"A matter of time until they..." - Tom Moody's surprising reaction after Afghanistan's historic win over Australia

Afghanistan, on Sunday (June 23), sent shockwaves across the cricketing world by beating Australia in the 48th game of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup.

While Afghanistan have done well in recent times, not many were expecting them to beat the reigning ODI and Test world champions. However, the Rashid Khan-led side went on to create history by powering Afghanistan to their first-ever win over Australia in any format. The Asian outfit thrashed their fancied opponents by 21 runs to keep alive their chances of qualifying for the semifinals.

Asked to bat first, Afghanistan rode on fifties from their openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran to post a challenging total of 148 for 6. In reply, Australia were bowled out for 127 runs. Even though Glenn Maxwell scored a fighting fifty, Afghanistan managed to avoid a repeat of the 2023 World Cup when the all-rounder scored a sensational double-century to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat for his side.

While Afghanistan's historic victory over Australia has surprised many, Tom Moody is definitely not one of them. The former Australia cricketer has said that it was just a matter of time before Afghanistan defeated any top team. Moody also called Afghanistan's journey in the game so far extraordinary.

"If you firstly look at Afghanistan and where they've come from and how they have grown as a cricket nation over recent years, it's quite an extraordinary curve upwards. How they're competing against all teams. A matter of time until they knocked over some of the very top teams and Australia being one of them," Tom Moody told ESPNcricinfo.

It was only a matter of time before Afghanistan knocked over Australia @TomMoodyCricket #AFGvAUS | #T20WorldCup | #TimeOut pic.twitter.com/8WcGjwZYOF

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 23, 2024

Australia, Afghanistan, India fight for semifinals spot:

Afghanistan's win over Australia has opened up Group 1 and now three teams are in contention for the two semifinal spots. Bangladesh's chances are all but over after they lost their first two Super 8 games while India, Afghanistan and Australia remain in contention.

India are currently in the driver's seat after winning their first two games and look set to make it to the semifinal even if they lose their last game against Australia. On the other hand, Australia and Afghanistan are fighting for the second spot. If both the teams manage to win their last Super 8 game, their fate will be decided by net run-rate.