LAHORE—Australia qualified for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Semifinals after its match against Afghanistan at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium was abandoned due to rain on Friday.
Chasing a 274-run target for the victory, Australia raced to 109/1 in 12.5 overs when rain stopped play.
Travis Head was the top scorer with 59 not out, followed by Matthew Short who made 20. Skipper Steven Smith was not out on 19. Azmatullah Omarzai got one wicket.
As the match could not be resumed due to persistent rain and a wet outfield, both the sides were awarded one point each. Resultantly, Australia qualified for the knockout stage of the tournament.
After winning the toss and opting to bat first, Afghanistan reached 273/10 in the allocated 50 overs despite losing Rehmanullah Gurbaz (0) in the first over.
Ibrahim Zadran (22) and Sediqullah Atal (85) stitched a 67-run partnership for the second wicket to put Afghanistan back on track. Sediqullah kept scoring despite losing partners at regular intervals. Azmatullah Omarzai (67) and Rashid Khan (19) ensured a strong finish to help Afghanistan reach 273.
Ben Dwarshuis bagged three wickets, Spencer Johnson and Adam Zampa two each, and Nathan Ellis and Glenn Maxwell one each, while Mohammad Nabi was run out.
Afghanistan Playing XI: 1 Ibrahim Zadran, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Sediqullah Atal, 4 Rahmat Shah, 5 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 6 Azmatullah Omarzai, 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Gulbadin Naib, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Noor Ahmad, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi
Australia Playing XI: 1 Travis Head, 2 Matt Short, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Alex Carey, 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Ben Dwarshuis, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Spencer Johnson
