It's time for a high-stakes showdown as Afghanistan and Australia clash in what is all but a virtual quarter-final at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The two nations will face each other in Lahore on Friday, with a place in the semi-finals up for grabs.
The math is straightforward—victory will practically guarantee a move into the semi-finals, with the losing team facing elimination, based on the result of the England-South Africa match in Karachi. The winner will advance to play either India or New Zealand in the subsequent round.
Afghanistan's Rise to Contender Status
Long touted to be a rising power in global cricket, Afghanistan has shown in the last few years that they are no longer the underdogs. Their remarkable win against England on Wednesday has put them at arm's length from a semi-final berth in their inaugural Champions Trophy campaign.
Now, they have another golden chance to make an announcement by beating Australia. Their morale will be boosted by their historic win against the Australians in the previous year's T20 World Cup, their first-ever win over the five-time world champions. This win combined with a decisive victory against Bangladesh contributed significantly towards sending Australia out of the competition and further establishing Afghanistan as an emerging power.
Ibrahim Zadran will again be the cornerstone of Afghanistan, after his record 177-run knock against England—the highest individual score in Champions Trophy history. Backed by Rahmanullah Gurbaz and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi in the batting order, and with Rashid Khan leading the spin department, Afghanistan has all the ingredients to make life difficult for Australia.
Australia Eye Redemption Amid Key Absences
For Australia, the Champions Trophy is a chance to regain the top spot following a series of inconsistent results in ICC events. Even though they won the ODI World Cup last year, their T20 World Cup attempt was a letdown, and they are yet to make their presence felt in this tournament.
Aiding their cause is the lack of their star pace trio—Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc—who are sitting out the action owing to injuries and workload management. Their lack was evident in Australia's first match against England, where their bowling was unable to hold back a humongous total of more than 350 runs. Yet, they pulled off a dramatic chase, courtesy of a counterattacking century by Josh Inglis.
With their hopes of making the semi-finals hanging in the balance, Steve Smith's team will bank on young pacers Ben Dwarshuis, Spencer Johnson, and Nathan Ellis to step up to the task, while veteran leg-spinner Adam Zampa will be the key in Lahore's spin-friendly environment.
Afridi, it seems, may not be quite as fit. In the batting order, however, Australia is blessed with an intimidating lineup, featuring Travis Head, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, and Glenn Maxwell. Maxwell, above all, has a track record of tormenting Afghanistan, with his match-saving double-century during the 2023 ODI World Cup fresh in memory. That innings transformed the game alone in favor of Australia and left them on track for another ICC trophy.
Weather and Qualification Scenarios
Rain may spoil the party on Friday and introduce an extra element of unpredictability into the qualification struggle. If the match is abandoned, Australia will reach the semi-finals based on a better net run rate, leaving Afghanistan praying for an improbable circumstance where England devastates South Africa by a big margin.
But if the game goes according to plan, both sides will have an opportunity to take matters into their own hands. A victory for Afghanistan will give them a historic semi-final berth, while defeat would virtually finish Australia's tournament. In that event, their only hope would be for England to thrash South Africa by a massive margin to significantly lower the Proteas' net run rate.
For example, if Australia is short by a single run while chasing a 300-run target, England would have to beat South Africa by 87 runs (while chasing the same score) to bring the Proteas' net run rate below that of Australia. Although mathematically feasible, it is extremely unlikely.
Match Details
Date: February 28, Friday
Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Time: Match begins at 2:30 PM IST, with the toss at 2:00 PM IST
Broadcast: Live telecast on Star Sports Network
Live Streaming: JioHotstar
Squads
Australia: Matthew Short, Travis Head, Steven Smith (captain), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Tanveer Sangha.
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (w), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Ikram Alikhil, Nangeyalia Kharote, Naveed Zadran.
With all at stake, both sides will be eager to book their spot in the semi-finals. Will Afghanistan carry on their fairy tale run, or will Australia's experience see them through? The cricketing fraternity is waiting for a thrilling encounter in Lahore.
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