 "Travis Head and Steve Smith walk off the field as the ground staff at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium bring out the covers during the Champions Trophy Group B clash between Afghanistan and Australia. AP")
Australia joined Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand as well as fellow two-time champions India in the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy after their final Group B match against Afghanistan ended in a No Result in Lahore on Friday . The Aussies had raced to 109/1 in 12.5 overs, thanks to Travis Head’s (59 not out) blazing half-century in their chase of the 274-run target set by the Afghans when heavy rain brought the game to a screeching halt.
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Though the rain eventually subsided, the umpires couldn’t restart the game due to large wet patches in the outfield, as a result of which Australia were forced to split points with their opponents for a second consecutive match.
While the Steve Smith-led side are guaranteed a place among the top-two in Group B, Afghanistan will need England – the team they had knocked out of the tournament with a thrilling victory on Wednesday – to defeat South Africa by a huge margin on Saturday for their campaign to remain alive.
Wet outfield in Lahore leads to another Champions Trophy game being called off
Despite the ground staffs’ efforts to clear the field, several pools of water remained on the pitch and the umpires ultimately declared the match abandoned after an inspection.
The interruption came just an hour before the cut-off time for completing the match.
With the game called off, Australia advanced to the semi-finals with four points. Their last match against South Africa in Rawalpindi was also abandoned.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAt the time of interruption, Travis Head was in superb form, having scored 59 runs off 40 balls, including nine fours and one six.
His knock came after a lucky reprieve when Rashid Khan dropped him on six, diving at mid-on off Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Head capitalised on this opportunity and dominated the Afghanistan bowlers, particularly taking 28 runs off Farooqi’s 17 balls.
Skipper Steve Smith was at the other end, playing a more measured knock with 19 not out from 22 balls, including two boundaries.
With no result from this match, Afghanistan’s chances are slim and would depend on the result of Saturday’s match between South Africa and England.
If South Africa win, they will top the group with five points.
If England emerges victorious, South Africa and Afghanistan will both finish on three points, leading to a net run-rate (NRR) calculation.
Afghanistan’s current NRR of -0.99 would almost certainly eliminate them unless South Africa loses by a margin of over 200 runs.
Earlier in the day, Afghanistan posted a competitive total of 273, largely due to Sediqullah Atal’s gritty 85 and Azmatullah Omarzai’s explosive 67.
Atal anchored the innings after a shaky start, but it was Omarzai’s late fireworks which propelled Afghanistan past 270 after they were 235 for 8 following Rashid Khan’s dismissal.
Omarzai’s 63-ball knock under pressure had five sixes and one four. He launched two massive sixes off Nathan Ellis in the penultimate over, including a breathtaking 102m hit over midwicket, sending the ball over Glenn Maxwell at the boundary.
He then struck a towering six wide of long-off as Afghanistan produced a late flourish for a total that would give their spin-heavy bowling lineup a big boost.
But he got out in the final over off Ben Dwarshuis who also dismissed Noor Ahmed in the final delivery of the day to finish with figures of 3/47 from nine overs.
World champions Australia also leaked 37 runs in extras that included 17 wides.
Opting to bat, Afghanistan suffered early blows as Spencer Johnson (2/49) cleaned up Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a five-ball duck and Ibrahim Zadran (22 off 28) gifted his wicket to Adam Zampa.
Atal then took charge, initially struggling against Johnson’s movement, but settling in with crisp cover drives and flicks.
He found a steady partner in Hashmatullah Shahidi, and together they stitched a 68-run stand, navigating Australia’s spinners on a sluggish pitch.
Atal brought up his second ODI fifty in style, launching Maxwell over mid-on for a six.
He later dismantled Zampa with two more sixes but fell 15 short of a maiden hundred, chipping a Johnson delivery to Steve Smith at short cover in the 32nd over.
His dismissal at 159/4 triggered a collapse, with skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (20 off 49) falling soon after, and Mohammad Nabi getting run out in a bizarre fashion.
From 182/6, Afghanistan struggled to keep the momentum, and at 235/8 after Rashid’s departure, they were staring at a modest total.
All-rounder Omarzai, fresh from a match-winning 5/58 haul and 41-run contribution against England, then took charge.
Unfazed by the situation, the No. 6 batter played with calm assurance, reaching his eighth ODI fifty off 54 balls with a single off Dwarshuis in the 48th over.
In doing so, he became the joint third-fastest Afghan player to reach the 1000-run milestone, achieving it in 31 innings – behind Zadran (24), Gurbaz (27), and Shah (31).
With PTI inputs