Afghanistan has realized cricketing history, reaching the final four of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in a thrilling encounter against Bangladesh.

Needing a win to secure their semi-final berth, Afghanistan edged out Bangladesh in one of the most dramatic ICC Men's T20 World Cup contests of all time. This victory ended Australia's campaign and allowed Afghanistan to clinch second spot in Group 1 of the Super Eights, joining India, England, and South Africa as the tournament's remaining contenders.

Bangladesh, also in contention, needed a comprehensive victory. Ultimately, the fate of the match hinged on whether Afghanistan or Australia would progress, as Bangladesh's run chase in St Vincent went through countless twists and turns.

Rashid Khan, winning the toss for Afghanistan, opted to bat first. The drama began immediately. On the very first ball, opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz narrowly avoided being run out, setting the tone for the tense contest ahead. Bangladesh's bowlers kept the pressure on, restricting Afghanistan to only five runs from the first two overs.

Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, prioritizing their wickets, steered Afghanistan to 27/0 at the conclusion of the Powerplay. Although runs were hard to come by, they made history by becoming the first pair to put together four partnerships of at least 50 in a T20 World Cup. Despite Bangladesh's tight bowling, Afghanistan reached drinks at 58/0, needing to accelerate their scoring.

The breakthrough for Bangladesh came shortly after the mid-innings break, with Zadran (18 off 29) getting caught. Gurbaz (43 off 55) continued to anchor the innings but was dismissed early in the 16th over, leaving Afghanistan at 99/5 with two overs remaining. Rashid Khan's entertaining cameo helped Afghanistan reach 115/5 from 20 overs, right as rain arrived in St Vincent, creating further tension.

As play resumed, Gurbaz suffered an injury, causing a brief delay. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq made early breakthroughs, but rain interruptions threatened to influence the match outcome via the DLS method. Bangladesh's chase saw Litton Das and Soumya Sarkar settle into a partnership, but Rashid Khan's introduction turned the tide again, removing Sarkar and putting Bangladesh under pressure.

With Bangladesh needing to complete the run chase in 12.1 overs to overtake Australia, back-to-back boundaries from Towhid Hridoy briefly swung momentum in their favor. However, Rashid Khan's crucial wickets brought the game back into balance.

As drinks approached, Das and Mahmudullah steadied Bangladesh at 77/5. Khan's continued brilliance, including back-to-back wickets, left Bangladesh reeling at 17/4 off three overs. Despite rain interruptions, Afghanistan stayed marginally ahead of the DLS par score.

Bangladesh, requiring 20 runs from the last four overs, saw Litton Das reach a 41-ball half-century. But the fall of Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman in quick succession saw Bangladesh's innings collapse. Naveen-ul-Haq's final wicket cueing pandemonium as Afghanistan secured their semi-final spot in dramatic fashion.

This victory marked Afghanistan's historic achievement, earning their place among the tournament's elite and leaving Bangladesh and Australia in despair.