Australia through to Champions Trophy semis after rain ruins run chase

Australia avoided a potentially controversial stumping dismissal in their Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan in Lahore. Captain Steve Smith proactively withdrew the stumping appeal against Afghanistan, demonstrating sportsmanship and fair play on the field.

Australia advanced to the Champions Trophy semi-finals as their crucial match against Afghanistan was abandoned due to heavy rain. At the time of the interruption, Australia were 1-109 after 12.5 overs, with Travis Head in excellent form, scoring 59 off 40 balls, and Smith contributing 19 (22 balls), placing Australia firmly in control of the game.

Earlier, Afghanistan, having been put in to bat, posted a total of 273, largely thanks to Sediqullah Atal's 85 (95 balls) and Azmatullah Omarzai's 67 (63 balls). Australia's target was to chase down 274 for victory, setting the stage for an exciting second innings.

During the match, Australia had an opportunity to further restrict Afghanistan's score, but they proactively withdrew a stumping appeal, avoiding a repeat of the controversial Jonny Bairstow stumping in the 2023 Ashes. Then, with Afghanistan at 8-248 at the end of the 47th over, No. 11 Noor Ahmad walked to the middle of the pitch to speak with his partner. Australia wicketkeeper Josh Inglis immediately whipped off the bails after Noor left his ground, and the umpires referred the reluctant appeal to the third umpire. Although Noor had indeed left his ground and would have been out according to the rules, Smith withdrew the appeal before the third umpire could analyze the footage.

Smith said after the match: "Our main goal was to get into the semi-finals, and now we've achieved that. The final will be another challenge, and the team is excited about it." Australia defeated England in their opening group match but then had their matches against South Africa and Afghanistan washed out by rain. For Afghanistan to advance to the semi-finals, England needed to beat South Africa by a huge margin (approximately 200 runs if batting first) to progress on net run rate. The strong teams of India and New Zealand have already qualified for the semi-finals, and they will compete in Dubai to determine the top seed from Group A.

Australia got off to a good start in their chase, but also benefited from fielding errors by the Afghanistan fielders. Head was dropped on 6 by Rashid Khan at mid-off, and Matt Short was also dropped on 19. Although Short only scored 1, Head made Afghanistan pay dearly. The current Allan Border Medalist reached his half-century off just 34 balls, and Australia reached 1-90 in the first 10 overs. The covers came on in the 13th over, which proved to be the final act of the match. Smith commented on Head, saying: "He's been playing well, got a chance early, and then he's been hitting the ball in the center. When he's in form, he's as good as anyone in the world. Hopefully, he can do that in the semi-final."

However, Short's injury means his participation in Australia's semi-final against either New Zealand or India remains in doubt. Earlier, Afghanistan's decision to bat first looked poor as Spencer Johnson's (2-49 from 10 overs) dangerous swing made their decision look bad. Johnson's beautiful inswinger knocked over Rahmanullah Gurbaz's stumps with the fifth ball of the match, and the opener stood in disbelief for over 10 seconds before departing. Ibrahim Zadran, who scored 177 in Afghanistan's surprise victory over England, looked a threat. But he was sent packing for 22 when he picked out Adam Zampa (2-48). Sediqullah steadied the ship with some excellent hitting, including six fours and three sixes. After his departure, Azmatullah ensured Afghanistan reached a competitive total, striking five sixes and one four in his important late hitting. Australia left-arm quick Ben Dwarshuis picked up a wicket with the final ball to finish with 3-47. Part-time spinners Glenn Maxwell (1-28 from 6 overs) and Short (0-21 from 7 overs) helped slow the run rate in the middle overs.