Lahore- Eyeing a semifinal spot, Australia’s historic pedigree in cricket’s biggest tournaments will count for nothing when they run into an Afghanistan side that is fast cementing its place in the game’s top table, in the Champions Trophy here on Friday.
Basking in the afterglow of their memorable win over England at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday, Afghanistan have a realistic chance of making their second successive semifinals of a global event, less than a year after their entry into the last four stage of the T20 World Cup in the Americas.
On the other hand, a win for Australia will secure their passage to the semifinals of the tournament while eliminating Afghanistan with a game to spare.
However, it is easier said than done. For one, for all their firepower in batting, Australia are without their three leading fast bowlers in Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.
The trio’s absence was felt as England racked up a 350-plus total in their tournament opener before the Aussies rode on Josh Inglis’s counterattacking hundred to emerge victorious by five wickets and 15 balls to spare.
Two-time winners Australia are seeking to regain the Champions Trophy title after a gap of 15 years. They had won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2009 but have failed to reach the finals in the 2013 and 2017 editions, after which the event was discontinued.
In the absence of their big fast bowlers, Australia know that their strength lies in batting with the likes of Travis Head, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Glenn Maxwell capable of inflicting plenty of damage on the opposition bowling attack.
As far as Afghanistan are concerned, their batting will be spearheaded by swashbuckling opener Ibrahim Zadran, whose 177 against England is now the highest individual score in the Champions Trophy.
Having lost to the Afghans in the T20 World Cup last year, Australia will not take their upcoming opponents lightly, and Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott acknowledged that in the press conference after the victory over England.
Match starts at 2.30 PM.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
