Australia through to semis, Afg rely on outside chance
New Delhi: With the Group B showdown between Afghanistan and Australia ending without a result at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday, the Steve Smith and Co qualified to the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy semi-final.
Despite a spirited show in the tournament, Afghanistan’s fate hangs in the balance as they still have an outside mathematical shot at qualifying. The two sides stepped into the match knowing that rain could play spoilsport and in case of a washout, Australia would qualify basis a superior net run-rate.
For Afghanistan to still have a shot at the semi-final berth and move up to the second spot, England will have to beat South Africa by at least 207 runs if they bat first. If they bat second, they will have to chase down the target within 11.1 overs.
Chasing 274, Australia were 109/1 after just 12.5 overs when rain forced players off the ground. Travis Head was in devastating form, racing to an unbeaten 59 – his 17th fifty in the format. Australia’s aggressive start, particularly Head’s boundary-laden innings, dramatically shifted the momentum in their favour. Captain Steve Smith also led from the front, providing solid support with an unbeaten 19.
Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai had powered Afghanistan to a competitive 273 all out with impressive half-centuries but Australia’s explosive start to their chase had suggested they were right on track for a win if rain did not intervene.
The Australians’ Powerplay performance — 90/1 — was the highest team score in the first ten overs in Champions Trophy history. Although Australia was ahead of the curve by pretty much crushing the game in the Powerplay itself, the weather had the final say in determining who advanced to the final four eventually.
Earlier, Afghanistan had demonstrated why they moved from underdogs to contenders in the tournament as they ensured a solid recovery after losing Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck in the opening over to Spencer Johnson.
Atal’s composed 85 off 95 deliveries along with Omarzai’s explosive 67 from 63 balls provided the late fireworks that propelled Afghanistan to a respectable total. Hashmatullah Shahidi, who contributed 20, also chipped in with a crucial 68-run partnership with Atal.
Ben Dwarshuis was Australia’s standout bowler, claiming 3/47 while Adam Zampa (2/48) and Johnson’s (2/49) proved to be able allies.
“That’s what we were after in the start, to finish in the top two and qualifying for the semis,” Smith said after the match. “I thought the guys did a good job. They made good changes and took wickets in the middle. We did well to restrict them to 270 and we were in a good position. The guys are excited so hope we can keep going in this tournament.”
In Group A, India and New Zealand have qualified for the semi-finals. The two will face each other in a dead rubber fixture in Dubai on Sunday. The semi-finals will be held on March 4 and 5 in Dubai and Lahore respectively.
