Key events
WICKET! Afghanistan 159-4 (Sediq c Smith b Johnson 85)
Outstanding work from Steve Smith, both as captain and fielder. He gambles by bringing back Spencer Johnson – whose radar was all over the place early on – and is rewarded instnatly. Sediq drives to short cover, where Smith swoops forward to take a difficult low catch with almost no fuss.
31st over: Afghanistan 159-3 (Sediq 85, Hashmat 16) Australia’s most economical bowler today, Matt Short, returns and restores order with another boundaryless over. He has figures of 5-0-11-0 and has yet to be hit for four.
30th over: Afghanistan 156-3 (Sediq 83, Hashmat 15) Sediqullah Atal is playing the innings of his life. Again he swipes Zampa’s first ball for six, this time over mid-on, a gorgeous shot that takes him into the eighties. He does have an ODI hundred, but that was against Zimbabwe in a bilateral series; this is against Australia in a quarter-final.
Mind you, Sediq has had a helping hand: replays show he would have been out in the previous over had Australia reviewed.
Hashmat has a moment of fortune too when he’s sent back by Sediq. Short throws to the wrong end with Hashmat stranded halfway down. Australia are starting to look rattled.
29th over: Afghanistan 145-3 (Sediq 75, Hashmat 12) Sediq brings up the fifty partnership by slapping a poor ball from Ellis for four.
Ellis has a huge shout for LBW turned down when Sediq pushes around a straight one. Australia think long and hard about a review but decide against it. That looked really close; it probably just pitched outside leg stump.
28th over: Afghanistan 139-3 (Sediq 70, Hashmat 11) Zampa returns after a thrifty spell of 4-0-8-0 from Short. Sediq skips down to drive his first ball over mid-off for six.
Tell you what, the age profile of the Afghanistan team is such that they could have have a helluva side at the 2027 World Cup. The top three are all 23, Azmat and Fazalhaq are 24, Rashid Khan 26, Mujeeb 23, Noor Ahmad 20.
Sure Mohammad Nabi, the President, is 40 but he’s got at least another 10 years in him.
27th over: Afghanistan 131-3 (Sediq 63, Hashmat 10) Steve Smith is starting to juggle his bowlers. Ellis returns after a one-over spell from Dwarshuis and concedes only a couple of singles. This is fascinatingly poised. My instinct is that Australia are ahead, but only just.
26th over: Afghanistan 129-3 (Sediq 62, Hashmat 9) Before this tournament Sediq’s only ODI innings were gainst Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. He’s only 23 but you can see what the fuss is about; he’s elegant, rotates strike well against spin and wasn’t fazed when the ball kept going past his outside edge early on.
25th over: Afghanistan 126-3 (Sediq 61, Hashmat 7) Dwarshuis replaces Maxwell, who bowled a pretty good spell of 6-1-28-1. Sediq, who is playing superbly now, picks a slower ball and belts it for four. Afghanistan’s tempo and shot selection with the bat have improved so much since Jonathan Trott became their coach.
24th over: Afghanistan 116-3 (Sediq 52, Hashmat 6) It’s important that Australia keep chipping away. The earlier they can get Afghanistan’s lower-order hitters in the better; Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and Gulbadin Naib are usually out in the middle for a good time rather than a long time. But if Afghanistan reach, say, 220 for 4 after 40 overs, Australia could enter a world of pain.
Shorrt doesn’t looking like take a wicket but he’s keeping things nice and tight: he has figures of 3-0-5-0.
23rd over: Afghanistan 113-3 (Sediq 51, Hashmat 5) Sediq races to a 64-ball fifty with a terrific shot, carting Maxwell over wide mid-on for six. He struggled early on, especially against Spencer Johnson, but has played nicely since then.
Hashmat, who has also started nervously, gets lucky when he charges Maxwell and bottom-edges four runs through the legs of Inglis. He could have bene out caught, stumped or bowled there.
22nd over: Afghanistan 102-3 (Sediq 50, Hashmat 1) The presssure is building with every dot ball. Australia keep releasing it slightly by giving away extras, with two leg-byes and a wide in that Short over. That takes Extras to 23 not out.
21st over: Afghanistan 98-3 (Sediq 43, Hashmat 1) Hashmat charges Maxwell and almosta yorks himself. He’s struggling to rotate stroke at the start of his innings; in fact he’s 1 not out from 12 balls.
20th over: Afghanistan 94-3 (Sediq 42, Hashmat 1) Matthew Short comes on for Zampa. It’s a good time for him to use up a couple of overs, with Afghanistan needing to rebuild again, and he concedes only a single to Sediq.
19th over: Afghanistan 93-3 (Sediq 41, Hashmat 1)
WICKET! Afghanistan 91-3 (Rahmat c Inglis b Maxwell 10)
Glenn Maxwell is a canny old rogue. The ball after being pulled meatily for four, he gets Rahmat with a quicker delivery from around the wicket that brushes the edge and is well caught by Inglis up to the stumps. Australia are taking wickets at excellent times.
18th over: Afghanistan 87-2 (Sediq 40, Rahmat 6) A full toss from Zampa is clumped over mid-off for four by Sediq, the first boundary in seven overs. Despite that wicket, Zampa hasn’t started brilliantly.
17th over: Afghanistan 80-2 (Sediq 35, Rahmat 6) Unlike, a-hem, some teams in this tournament, Afghanistan are happy to take a few overs to rebuild when they lose a wicket. That’s what’s happening now against Maxwell and Zampa. Rahmat gets a couple of bonus runs thanks to a misfield from Short.
16th over: Afghanistan 75-2 (Sediq 34, Rahmat 2) The ball is stopping slightly for the spinners, probably due to the volume of rain in the last 48 hours. Another good over from Zampa, four from it.
15th over: Afghanistan 71-2 (Sediq 31, Rahmat 1) A maiden from Maxwell to Rahmat. You’ve got to love the ebb and flow of 50-over cricket: after scoring 48 in six overs, Afghanistan have added three in the last three for the loss of their best batter.
14th over: Afghanistan 71-2 (Sediq 31, Rahmat 1) Ibrahim looked crestfallen as he walked off. He’s such a key player, the man most likely to bat the majority of his innings, and his dismissal puts Australia back on top.
WICKET! Afghanistan 70-2 (Ibrahim c Labuschagne b Zampa 22)
A huge moment. Adam Zampa has struck with his third ball, a long hop that Ibrahim cuts straight to Labuschagne at point. It was so wide that Ibrahim had to reach for the ball and was unable to control the stroke.
13th over: Afghanistan 70-1 (Ibrahim 22, Sediq 31) Glenn Maxwell replaces Spencer Johnson, who bowled an erratic spell of 6-0-37-1. I wonder whether Maxwell’s aura extends to his bowling when he plays against Afghanistan. We’ll find out today I guess.
Maxwell starts well, finding a hint of turn and conceding only two singles.
12th over: Afghanistan 68-1 (Ibrahim 21, Sediq 30) It’s a sign of Ibrahim’s class that he has made 21 from 23 balls almost without trace. Sediq has been more eye-catching, both in his strokeplay and his false strokes. He has another moment of fortune when an inside-edge off Ellis flies past the stumps.
11th over: Afghanistan 63-1 (Ibrahim 18, Sediq 28) Johnson again drifts onto the pads and is put away for four by Sediq.
This is getting a bit worrying for Australia, who have conceded 39 from the last five overs. In these conditions they could use a fourth seamer, even if it’s just for a couple of overs. Maybe it’s time for Marnus to show off his medium pace.
10th over: Afghanistan 54-1 (Ibrahim 15, Sediq 22) Nathan Ellis replaces Dwarshuis, who bowled a reasonable spell of 4-0-13-0. A wide slower ball is slammed to the extra-cover boundary by Ibrahim, though he is beaten either side of that boundary.
As Aaron Finch says on commentary, there’s enough in this pitch that Australia don’t need to mix it up at this stage: “bowl your first-class length”.
9th over: Afghanistan 48-1 (Ibrahim 11, Sediq 21) A loose ball from Johnson is touched fine for four by Sediq. It’s hard to assess Johnson’s spell because he has really struggled to control his line yet he could easily have three-for.
One thing we can all agree on: Australia would like a second wicket asap. Despite some hairy moments, the scoreboard looks healthy for Afghanistan.
8th over: Afghanistan 41-1 (Ibrahim 10, Sediq 16) Afghanistan are starting to play more freely. Zadran square-drives Dwarshuis for his first boundary, then Sediq slices a drive past backward point for a couple. Extras (15) is no longer the top scorer.
7th over: Afghanistan 33-1 (Ibrahim 5, Sediq 13) Another quick single for Ibrahim, who played a loose stroke to his first ball but has looked calm and secure since then.
When Johnson throws up a tempter outside off, Sediq nails a beautiful extra-cover drive for four. He plays a similar stroke for three more later in the over.
6th over: Afghanistan 24-1 (Ibrahim 4, Sediq 6) Ibrahim is starting to rotate strike in his usual unobtrusive way. The problem is that Sediq is struggling to do the same, so Ibrahim has faced only six of the first 36 deliveries.
Sediq is a talented young player but he’s really struggling here. He has a lusty hack at Dwarshuis and is beaten, edges a fraction short of Short at first slip and then misses another swipe outside off stump.
5th over: Afghanistan 23-1 (Ibrahim 3, Sediq 6) Johnson, who is moving the ball both in the air and on the pitch, beats Sediq with three successive deliveries. As Ian Smith says on commentary, Afghanistan just need to get through this spell – it’s fine if they are 40 for 1 after 10 overs.
4th over: Afghanistan 20-1 (Ibrahim 1, Sediq 5) So far Dwarshuis has been able to control the swing pretty well; two from his second over.
3rd over: Afghanistan 18-1 (Ibrahim 1, Sediq 3) Ibrahim Zadran is beaten by his first ball, a beauty from Johnson that moves away from a full length. It was a loose drive from Ibrahim, whose judgement was so good against England.
It won’t be a surprise if he fails today. It’s hard, especially for young players, to follow up the innings of their life at any time, never mind when it was less than 48 hours ago.
Ibrahim gets off the mark with a single, then Sediq is beaten by a stunning delivery that seams past the inside edge, just misses off stump and swings away for four byes. Johnson is mixing jaffas and filth; his next ball is speared down the leg side for five wides, then he beats both batters outside off stump.
Some over that: he beat the edge four times and conceded 12, 10 of them in extras.
2nd over: Afghanistan 6-1 (Ibrahim 0, Sediq 2) There’s some swing for Dwarshuis, who beats the left-handed Sediqullah Atal with a couple of jaffas. Steve Smith has a really attacking fiekd: two slips, gully and backward point.
A misfield from Labuschagne gives Sediq the first runs off the bat.
1st over: Afghanistan 4-1 (Ibrahim 0, Sediq 0) Johnson’s line was slightly off for much of that over – the four runs were all leg-byes or wides – but that ball to Gurbaz was as near perfect as dammit.
WICKET! Afghanistan 3-1 (Gurbaz b Johnson 0)
A perfect start for Australia! Spencer Johnson has cleaned up the dangerous Rahmanullah Gurbaz with a fantastic yorker. Mitch Starc couldn’t have done it better: it curved in, sneaked under the bat and pinged the outside of off stump. Gurbaz lingered for ages, not quite able to take it in. He did nothing wrong; it was an absolute jaffa.
Time for the action to begin. It’s less than 48 hours since Ibrahim Zadran made a phenomenal 177 against England. His ability to go again, or otherwise, will be a key part of this game.
Team news
Both teams are unchanged from their wins over England.
Afghanistan Ibrahim, Gurbaz (wk), Sediq, Rahmat, Hashmat (c), Azmat, Nabi, Gulbadin, Rashid, Noor, Farooqi.
Australia Head, Short, Smith (c), Labuschagne, Inglis (wk), Carey, Maxwell, Dwarshuis, Ellis, Zampa, Johnson.
Afghanistan win the toss and bat
That’s no surprise given their ability to squeeze the game in the second innings. It’s a used pitch which should bring their spinners into the game; the seamers took seven of the 10 England wickets to fall on Wednesday.
Steve Smith says Australia would have bowled so he’s happy enough. There’s a chance of a DLS chase, given the weather forecast, so there’s plenty of merit in batting second as well.
Preamble
Rob Smyth
On 10 October 2000, South Africa thrashed England by eight wickets in Nairobi, Kenya. Shaun Pollock took 3 for 27, Jacques Kallis stroked an effortless 78. That match was the last quarter-final to be played in the Champions Trophy, but only if you take these things literally.
The group format that has been used in the Champions League since 2000 has produced a number of de facto quarter-finals, including a memorable match between India and Australia in 2006. The latest takes place in Lahore today, where Afghanistan and Australia meet for the right to face either India or New Zealand in the semi-finals.
Afghanistan dumped England out of the tournament on Wednesday in a thrilling match that confirmed their status as one of the world’s best white-ball sides. It’s not that long ago that Afghanistan were dangerous opponents who on their day could trouble the best team; now they’re just really, really good.
They would have beaten Australia at the 50-over World Cup but for Glenn Maxwell’s mind-blowing 201 not out. They did beat Australia, decisively so, in last year’s T20 World Cup.
There’s a bit of rain forecast in Lahore, though nothing to suggest we won’t get a positive result. Australia can theoretically lose today and still go through, but it would need England to marmalise South Africa tomorrow. In reality, it all comes down to this.
Weather permitting, play will start in Lahore at 2pm local/8pm AEDT/9am GMT.
