Lahore: The match between Afghanistan and Australia in the Group B match of ICC Champions Trophy 2025 played at Gaddafi Stadium was washed out due to rain. This result gave Australia a ticket to the semi-finals, while Afghanistan's hopes are now pinned on England.
Rain became the villain, Afghanistan's path to the semi-finals is difficult
Afghanistan batted first and scored 273 runs. In response, Australia scored 109/1 in 12.5 overs, but then rain came and the match had to be canceled. With this result, it has become almost impossible for Afghanistan to reach the semi-finals. Now if England has to beat South Africa by a margin of 207+ runs, then only Afghanistan can qualify.
What did the captain say after the match?
Hasmatullah Shahidi (Captain of Afghanistan):
"Very unfortunate that this match ended in a no result. We wanted to score 300+ runs, but their bowling was good in the middle overs. We scored 270 runs, but the bowling was not good. We gave too much width in the beginning and gave the batsmen opportunities to hit. Sediqullah Atal played a brilliant innings, although his performance in the first two matches was not as we were expecting. Omarzai is a great player, he took five wickets against England and played brilliantly today as well."
Steve Smith (Captain of Australia):
"We played strongly from the beginning to make it to the semi-finals. We bowled well and restricted Afghanistan to 270 runs. Our bowlers made a good comeback in the middle overs. It was unfortunate that the match was cancelled due to rain, but the team performed well. Travis Head batted well, hopefully he will do the same in the semi-finals."
What is the equation now?
If Afghanistan is to make it to the semi-finals, England will have to
- Win by 207+ runs against South Africa (if England bats first)
- Achieve the target in 11.1 overs (if England bats in the second innings and the target is 300)
However, this seems extremely unlikely, which makes it certain that only Australia and South Africa will make it to the semi-finals.
Rain and Australia have an old relationship in the Champions Trophy
It is worth noting that this is the 8th time in the history of the Champions Trophy that a match has been inconclusive due to rain, out of which Australia has been involved 6 times.
Now all eyes will be on the England vs South Africa match, which will decide who will top Group B and who will finish second. Afghanistan's hopes are pinned on England's miracle, but in reality Australia and South Africa are almost certain to make it to the semi-finals.
🚨 Stay tuned for more updates!
