Cricket

Australia's hopes of defending their T20 World Cup title were dashed after Afghanistan's stunning victory over Bangladesh in the final Super 8s match. The Afghans' triumph secured their maiden World Cup semifinal berth, while simultaneously eliminating Australia from the tournament.Australia's fate was sealed by India's 24-run victory over them in their previous match. The win held a sense of revenge for India, who had lost to Australia in the ODI World Cup final last year.Prior to their elimination, Australia had discussed "manipulating" the result of their final group-stage match against Scotland to knock England out of the tournament. However, their plans were thwarted by Afghanistan's upset victory.Australia finished third in Group 1 with two points, while Afghanistan's win over Bangladesh propelled them to second place with four points. From Group 2, South Africa qualified as the table toppers, while England finished behind them to secure the second semifinal spot.Afghanistan's victory was particularly sweet for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), who have Naveen ul Haq and Rashid Khan on their IPL roster. Naveen starred for Afghanistan with four wickets against Bangladesh, while Rashid orchestrated the collapse with another four wickets.