LAHORE, Pakistan — In a crucial matchup under cloudy skies, Afghanistan opted to bat first against Australia in a decisive Group B clash of the Champions Trophy. The game, held on Friday, saw Afghanistan’s captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi, making the strategic decision to bat after winning the coin toss.
Afghanistan is riding high after a remarkable win against England, where they managed to clinch victory by a narrow margin of eight runs. This win marked a significant turnaround for the team, especially after their initial defeat to South Africa by 107 runs. Sticking to their trusted lineup, Afghanistan fielded the same players for the third straight game, placing their hopes on a trio of spinners — Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, and the highly regarded leg-spinner Rashid Khan.
Australia, on the other hand, came into the match with three points, thanks to a record-breaking chase of 352 runs against England, and an additional point from their rained-out game against South Africa in Rawalpindi. Consistency being key, Australia retained the same squad.
In parallel tournament progress, New Zealand and India have advanced to the semifinals from Group A, thereby eliminating host Pakistan and Bangladesh from the competition.
The lineups for the game were as follows:
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Australia: Matthew Short, Travis Head, Steven Smith (captain), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson
