AUS vs AFG: A Brief Trivia of Their Previous Encounters in the ODI Format
AUS vs AFG: Australia and Afghanistan, on hearing the names of the two teams, no comparison can be drawn between the playing stature of these two fine teams. Australia, on the other hand, is among the oldest nations to have adopted the game of cricket from the Englishmen, while Afghanistan is relatively new and started the game in the 21st century.
However, citing brilliance not only in the 50-over format or in limited-overs cricket, Australia has been a heavyweight in the ICC events, with 6 World Cups under their belt as well as 2 Champions Trophies, while Afghanistan is playing their first-ever Champions Trophy while they have also begun to perform decently in the ODI World Cup.
AUS vs AFG: A trivial list of the past 4 matches played between these two nations
1. Australia vs Afghanistan at Sharjah in 2012
This was the first time Australia played against Afghanistan and also just the second match for Afghanistan against a full member nation, after their first match being against Pakistan.
Batting First Australia, led by Michael Clarke, went on to put in a respectable total of 272, while Afghanistan, in an attempt to chase it down, kept losing wickets at regular intervals and was dismissed for 206 runs. Glenn Maxwell and Mohammed Nabi remain the only players from either team to be part of the 2025 Champions Trophy squad as well.
2. Australia’s biggest 275-run victory over Afghanistan in World Cup 2015
This marked Australia and Afghanistan’s rivalry in World Cups, as in 2015 this was the first time Aussies played against the Asian underdogs in an ICC event. David Warner bamboozled all with his stunning striking of the white ball, as he scored a stunning 178 off just 133 balls.
Steven Smith’s 95 and Maxwell’s 88 off just 39 balls marked the Aussies' score of 417, while the Afghans were bowled out for just 142 runs, marking a huge defeat in the history of the World Cup.
3. AUS vs AFG in World Cup 2019
Another loose performance from Afghanistan in the 2019 ODI World Cup when the nation was yet to develop its sense of dominance in the longer limited-overs format. Australia chased down a minor target of 208 runs, with skipper Finch and David Warner all scoring half-centuries, while Glenn Maxwell once again finished it off in style with a boundary on the first ball he faced.
4. The Maxwell masterclass in World Cup 2023
The World Champions Australia’s all hopes would have been shattered that very day if they had lost the neck-and-neck thriller against Afghanistan in the ODI World Cup of 2023, where the men in yellow lifted their 6th World title.
All thanks to Mujeeb ur Rehman Zadran, who dropped a simple catch of Glenn Maxwell when Australia was 102 for 7, as Maxwell, alongside Pat Cummins, batted throughout the innings and went on to score a terrific 201* with a limp foot as they showered sixes all around the park.
Cummins, the skipper, played a hand of 12 of just 68 balls, while Maxwell’s iconic 128-ball double-century was enough to take Aussie over the line to a famous victory.
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