Australia edges past Afghanistan at Adelaide Oval

Adelaide, The Gulf Observer: Australia has beaten Afghanistan, just, but needs England to lose to Sri Lanka at the SCG on Saturday if they are to progress to the semi final of the T20 World Cup.

The four-run victory moves the defending champions into second place in Group One behind New Zealand, who thrashed Ireland by 35 runs to confirm their spot in the semi’s earlier in the day.

However, by failing to beat Afghanistan by more than 63 runs, Australia was unable to improve its net run rate enough to surpass England’s, meaning qualification for the semi finals is now in the hands of their Ashes rivals.