Champions Trophy: Match abandoned due to rain, Australia advance to semi-final 

LAHORE: Australia has officially advanced to the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy after their match against Afghanistan at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore was abandoned due to rain. Chasing a target of 274 runs, Australia was in a dominant position at 109/1 in 12.5 overs when rain interrupted play. Despite efforts to restart the match, excessive waterlogging on the ground forced officials to call it off.

Matthew Short (20 off 15 balls) was the only batter dismissed in the Australian innings. Opener Travis Head remained unbeaten on 55 off 40 balls, while captain Steve Smith was on 19 off 22 balls when the match was stopped.

Australia had earlier defeated England in their opening match, while their clash against South Africa was abandoned without a ball being bowled. With this result, Australia now has four points from three matches, ensuring their place in the semi-finals.

The second semi-finalist from this group will be determined based on the outcome of the match between South Africa and England tomorrow. Currently, both Afghanistan and South Africa have three points each. If South Africa wins, they will top the group with five points and advance to the semi-finals. Even if they lose, their chances of qualifying remain high due to a superior net run rate. On the other hand, Afghanistan’s negative net run rate puts them at a disadvantage.

Batting first, Afghanistan posted 273 all out in 50 overs. They suffered an early setback when opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed for a duck (0 off 5 balls) in the very first over. Ibrahim Zadran, who scored a century in the previous match, managed 22 off 28 balls before getting out. The top scorer was Sediqullah Atal, who played a fine knock of 85 off 95 balls, hitting six fours and three sixes.

Other contributions included Rahmat Shah (12 off 21 balls), captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (20 off 49 balls), and Azmatullah Omarzai (67 off 63 balls). Their contrbutions were crucial in pushing Afghanistan’s total to 273. Lower-order batters struggled, with Mohammad Nabi (1 off 1 ball), Gulbadin Naib (4 off 12 balls), Rashid Khan (19 off 17 balls), and Noor Ahmad (6 off 8 balls) failing to make a significant impact. For Australia, Ben Dwarshuis was the standout bowler, taking three wickets. Spencer Johnson and Adam Zampa picked up two wickets each, while Nathan Ellis and Glenn Maxwell claimed one wicket each.