Australia advanced to the Champions Trophy semifinals after rain in Lahore on Friday forced the cancellation of their pivotal Group B match against Afghanistan.
Due to rain in Lahore on Friday, Australia’s pivotal Group B match against Afghanistan was canceled, advancing them to the Champions Trophy semifinals. Australia were 109 for 1 in 12.5 overs, chasing a score of 274 when the rain stopped the contest. Several pools of water remained on the field despite the ground crew’s best efforts to clean it, and after an examination, the umpires decided to call off the game. Only one hour before the deadline for finishing the match, there was an interruption.Australia advanced to the semifinals with four points after the game was called off. Additionally, their final game against South Africa in Rawalpindi was called off.
Travis Head, who had scored 59 runs off 40 balls, including nine fours and one six, was in outstanding form at the time of the interruption.
Rashid Khan gave him a fortunate reprieve by diving at mid-on off Fazalhaq Farooqi and dropping him on six.
Head capitalized on this opportunity and dominated the Afghanistan bowlers, particularly taking 28 runs off Farooqi’s 17 balls.At the other end came captain Steve Smith, who hit two boundaries and scored 19 not out from 22 balls with a more controlled knock.
Afghanistan’s chances of winning this match are minimal, and they will rely on the outcome of South Africa vs. England on Saturday.
With five points, South Africa will lead the group if they win.
A net run-rate (NRR) computation will be necessary if England wins because South Africa and Afghanistan will both end with three points.They would most likely be eliminated by Afghanistan’s current NRR of -0.99 unless South Africa defeats by a margin of more than 200 runs.
Afghanistan scored a respectable 273 earlier in the day, primarily thanks to Azmatullah Omarzai’s scorching 67 and Sediqullah Atal’s grinding 85.
when a difficult start, Atal steadied the innings, but Omarzai’s late fireworks helped Afghanistan surpass 270 when they were 235 for 8 after Rashid Khan was out.
Five sixes and one four were part of Omarzai’s 63-ball performance under pressure. In the penultimate over, he smacked Nathan Ellis for two huge sixes, including a spectacular 102-meter drive over midwicket that sent the ball over Glenn Maxwell at the boundary.Afghanistan then produced a late flourish for a total that would significantly strengthen their spin-heavy bowling lineup, as he hit a towering six wide of long-off.
However, he finished with statistics of 3/47 from nine overs after being out in the last over by Ben Dwarshuis, who also got rid of Noor Ahmed in the day’s last delivery.
Australia, the world champions, also gave up 37 extra runs, including 17 wides.
After choosing to bat, Afghanistan took early hits as Ibrahim Zadran (22 off 28) gave Adam Zampa his wicket and Spencer Johnson (2/49) dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a five-ball duck.After that, Atal seized control, battling Johnson’s movement at first before settling in with clean flicks and cover drives.
He found Hashmatullah Shahidi to be a reliable companion, as the two of them navigated Australia’s spinners on a slow surface to put together a 68-run stand.
Atal sent Maxwell over mid-on for a six to celebrate reaching his second ODI fifty.
In the 32nd over, he chipped a Johnson delivery to Steve Smith at short cover, falling 15 short of his first century despite subsequently taking out Zampa with two more sixes.
A collapse ensued after his dismissal at 159/4, with Mohammad Nabi being run out in an odd manner and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (20 off 49) succumbing shortly after.Afghanistan failed to maintain the momentum from 182/6, and they were looking at a modest total at 235/8 following Rashid’s retirement.
Following a game-winning 5/58 haul and 41-run contribution against England, all-rounder Omarzai assumed leadership.
The No. 6 hitter, unfazed by the circumstances, played with composed conviction and hit a single off Dwarshuis in the 48th over to achieve his eighth ODI fifty off 54 balls.
He accomplished this in 31 innings, making him the third-fastest Afghan player to reach the 1000-run mark, after Shah (31) and Gurbaz (27), and Zadran (24).
