In this World T20 we have had to wait until the last day of the group matches to see the biggest surprise package.
Minnows Afghanistan beat the group 1 champion West Indies by six runs. After scoring a modest 123 for seven, Bangladesh restricted the Windies to 117. Spinners Mohammed Nabi and Rashid Khan picked up two wickets each.
WI needed 10 runs from the final over, but Nabi gave away just three runs taking a wicket, thanks to an absolutely stunning catch by Najibulla Zardan.
Even when blaming West Indies for complacency after entering the semi finals, cricket pundits and fans were giving full marks to the Afghan team.
Earlier, Najibullah Zardan and Mohammed Shahzad had scored 48 and 24 respectively to take Bangladesh to a defendable total on a slow wicket.
And then came the best moment of the day. Afghan pavilion had a surprise visitor to take part in the celebration. Rested WI opener Chris Gayle joined Afghan camp in the victory celebration and had a couple of dance steps with them, before posing for selfies.
Team Afghan might have failed to secure a spot in the knockout state, but they surely have found places in the cricket fans’ hearts. They have scared South Africa, England and Sri Lanka before beating West Indies. The tournament has proved that Afghan team cannot be taken lightly in the future.
The cricketing world has come out showering praises over Afghan after the victory, including some calls to the ICC to accommodate more associate teams in the big stage.
