Australia qualifies for Champions Trophy semi-finals after rain stops play against Afghanistan

Australia has secured a spot in the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 after their final group-stage match against Afghanistan was abandoned due to heavy rainfall at Gaddafi Stadium on Friday.

Australia, who began their tournament with an impressive win over arch-rivals England, finished their group-stage campaign with four points. Two of their matches were abandoned with no result, but their performance was enough to make them the first team from Group B to reach the semi-finals.

Afghanistan, who are currently third in the points table with three points, are still in with a slim chance of qualifying. However, they are highly dependent on other results, particularly hoping for England to defeat South Africa by a huge margin on Saturday, as they trail the Proteas significantly in net run rate.

At the time of the rain delay, Australia were 109/1 in 12.5 overs, with Travis Head on 59* and captain Steve Smith on 19*. The Australian openers, Matthew Short and Travis Head, had gotten off to a strong start, putting together a rapid 44-run partnership before Short was dismissed by Afghanistan's Azmatullah Omarzai. Short made 20 runs from 15 balls, hitting three fours and a six.

Head and Smith then added an unbeaten 65-run partnership for the second wicket, taking Australia further ahead before the rain halted the match.

Earlier, Afghanistan batted first and were bowled out for 273 in 50 overs, thanks to solid contributions from Omarzai and Sediqullah Atal. Afghanistan's innings started poorly, with Spencer Johnson dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz on the fifth ball of the match.

However, Atal and Ibrahim Zadran combined to put Afghanistan back on track, sharing a vital 67-run partnership before Zadran was dismissed for 22 by Adam Zampa. Afghanistan faced further setbacks as Rahmat Shah fell for 12, leaving them at 91/3.

Atal continued to anchor the innings, scoring 85 off 95 balls, with six fours and three sixes. His dismissal in the 32nd over led to a quick middle-order collapse, and Afghanistan was soon reduced to 199/7 in 40 overs.

Azmatullah Omarzai, however, kept Afghanistan's hopes alive, scoring 67 from 63 balls, including one four and five sixes. He also added a valuable 36-run partnership with Rashid Khan, who made 19 off 17 balls.

In terms of wickets, Australia’s Spencer Johnson and Adam Zampa both took two wickets each, while Glenn Maxwell and Nathan Ellis each claimed one wicket, while Ben Dwarshuis picked up three wickets.

With this result, Australia became the first team from Group B to reach the semi-finals, while Afghanistan must now wait for other results to determine their fate. The final group-stage match of Group B will take place on Saturday, March 1, between England and South Africa at National Bank Stadium in Karachi.