Australia will be assured of their semi-final spot with four points.
If SA beat England tomorrow, they will top the group with five points, but if England win, then SA and Afghanistan will finish on three points each, which will bring NRR into the equation.
Afghanistan (NRR -0.99) will almost certainly be eliminated then, as they need SA to lose by at least 207 runs (chasing 301) to move up to second place and qualify.
The crucial ICC Champions Trophy match between Afghanistan and Australia was halted due to rain. Before the interruption, Australia had scored 109 runs for the loss of one wicket in 12.5 overs while chasing a target of 274.
Afghanistan’s Innings
Earlier, Afghanistan was bowled out for 273 runs in 50 overs at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. Their innings started poorly as opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed for a duck. However, Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal built a 67-run partnership for the second wicket to stabilize the innings.
Ibrahim Zadran scored 22 runs before getting out, while Rahmat Shah was dismissed after making just 12. Sediqullah Atal was the top scorer with 85 runs, followed by Azmatullah Omarzai, who contributed 67. Other key contributions included:
- Hashmatullah Shahidi: 20
- Mohammad Nabi: 1
- Gulbadin Naib: 4
- Rashid Khan: 19
- Noor Ahmad: 6
Australia’s Bowling Performance
From Australia’s bowling attack, Ben Dwarshuis took three wickets, while Spencer Johnson and Adam Zampa claimed two wickets each. Glenn Maxwell and Nathan Ellis picked up one wicket each.
Toss and Playing XIs
Afghanistan’s captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi, won the toss and elected to bat first.
Afghanistan’s Playing XI:
- Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain)
- Ibrahim Zadran
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz
- Sediqullah Atal
- Rahmat Shah
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Mohammad Nabi
- Gulbadin Naib
- Rashid Khan
- Noor Ahmad
- Fazalhaq Farooqi
Australia’s Playing XI:
- Steve Smith (captain)
- Travis Head
- Matt Short
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Josh Inglis
- Alex Carey
- Glenn Maxwell
- Ben Dwarshuis
- Nathan Ellis
- Adam Zampa
- Spencer Johnson
With rain halting play, Australia will hope for favorable conditions to continue their chase, while Afghanistan will look for a breakthrough once the match resumes.