Australia secured a spot in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-finals after their match against Afghanistan was abandoned due to rain in Lahore.
Earlierin the match, Shahidi won the toss and chose to bat first. Afghanistan had bounced back from a heavy loss to South Africa with a stunning win over England, while Australia had beaten England in record fashion but had their next match against South Africa washed out.
Azmatullah Omarzai & Sediqullah Atal helped Afghanistan to score 273
Afghanistan had earlier put up a strong total of 273 all out, with Sediqullah Atal top-scoring with 85 before being dismissed by Spencer Johnson. Johnson also got an early breakthrough, dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the first over. Ibrahim Zadran (22) and Sediqullah built a solid partnership, but Afghanistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi made 20 before falling to Adam Zampa, and the lower order struggled. However, Azmatullah Omarzai (67) and Rashid Khan (19) provided some late resistance.
Australia was chasing 274 and had reached 109/1 in the 13th over when rain stopped play. Travis Head was in great form, unbeaten on 59 off 40 balls, with Steve Smith at the other end on 19.
As the match couldn’t resume, Australia advanced to the semi-finals. This match was a must-win for both teams, but rain had the final say, allowing Australia to move into the last four.
