Rain Seals Australia's Progress, Leaves Afghanistan on the Brink

 Rain Seals Australia's Progress, Leaves Afghanistan on the Brink

Afghanistan's hopes of achieving 50-over retribution against Australia in an ICC event were dashed by rain after just 12.5 overs of Australia's chase. Due to the abandonment of the fixture, Australia joined India and New Zealand as the semifinalists, while Afghanistan, with only three points, is now on the verge of elimination. Their chances rest on an unlikely miracle from England, who will need to produce a big performance against South Africa in Saturday's fixture to keep Afghanistan's hopes alive.

Before the weather intervened, Travis Head had put Afghanistan on the backfoot with a quick-fire half-century. He, along with fellow opener Matthew Short, got Australia off to a flying start as Fazalhaq Farooqi struggled to control the swing he generated, conceding 18 in his first over. Azmatullah Omarzai followed suit, giving up 14, and Farooqi’s next over went for another 10, leaving Australia at 42/0 after just 4 overs in pursuit of Afghanistan’s total of 273.

Afghanistan's fielding woes continued, as both openers were dropped once each. Short, who was dropped in Farooqi's over, was caught at mid-on by Gulbadin Naib after another chance in the same over. Steve Smith wasted no time, smashing his first two deliveries for boundaries — through cover and mid-wicket — to bring up Australia’s fifty in just the fifth over, putting the team well ahead of the required rate.

Head, having been dropped earlier, made Afghanistan pay, striking Omarzai for three consecutive fours in the ninth over. By the time Australia reached 90/1 after 10 overs, it was the highest PowerPlay total of the tournament. Afghanistan's struggles continued, as they conceded 48 off 21 short-pitched deliveries in the early overs.

Just as Australia crossed the 100-run mark, the rain arrived and brought the match to a halt. After a delay of over an hour, the umpires and ground staff worked to dry the outfield, but eventually, it was deemed that no further play was possible. Since Australia's innings had not reached 20 overs (they were 109/1 in 12.5 overs), the DLS method could not be applied, leading to the abandonment of the game.

Before the rain disrupted play, Afghanistan had shown resilience, fighting hard against Australia much like they did in their win over England just two nights ago. Afghanistan’s batting, though under pressure, displayed grit and determination.

Sediqullah Atal, Afghanistan’s top scorer with 85 off 95 balls, anchored the innings alongside Ibrahim Zadran in the first 10 overs. Australia’s spin attack, however, began to take control in the middle overs, and Afghanistan lost Zadran, Rahmat Shah, and their grip on the game between overs 11 and 20. Atal and Hashmatullah Shahidi revived the innings during the next 10 overs. After Atal’s dismissal in the 32nd over, Afghanistan slipped to 199/7 in the 40th over. However, Azmatullah Omarzai (67 off 63) provided a vital late surge, pushing the team to a total of 273.

Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi had hoped the surface would slow down in the second half, benefiting Afghanistan’s spinners, but the rain ensured the match never progressed to that point.

Brief Scores:

• Afghanistan: 273 in 50 overs (Sediqullah Atal 85, Azmatullah Omarzai 67; Ben Dwarshuis 3-47, Adam Zampa 2-48, Spencer Johnson 2-49)
• Australia: 109/1 in 12.5 overs (Travis Head 59*).
  Match Abandoned due to rain.