Who: Afghanistan vs Australia
What: ICC Champions Trophy – Group B game
When: Friday, February 28 at 2pm (09:00 GMT)
Where: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan
Follow Al Jazeera’s live photo and text commentary stream from 05:00 GMT.
Afghanistan will have plenty on their minds when they take on Australia in their final group game of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Lahore on Friday.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
The rising force of men’s cricket will be against the most successful team in all ICC tournaments. But that’s not all. The match will be played under the cloud of lingering political tensions between both countries and their respective cricket boards.
Australia have refused to play against Afghanistan in their bilateral tournaments since the Taliban returned to power in the Asian country in 2021, a move not taken lightly by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB).
The boycott has been criticised by ACB officials and Afghan players, as well as an outgoing head of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The match also acts as a virtual knockout for both teams, providing them a chance to qualify for the semifinals.
Advertisement
Should Afghanistan make it through, it will be their first time in the last-four stage of an ICC event.
Australia, meanwhile, are no strangers to the knockout stages and will relish the chance to lift another one-day international (ODI) trophy, having won the 50-over World Cup in India in 2023.
‘Who knows what we can achieve’
Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott believes his team’s performances at the 50-overs and Twenty20 World Cups mean there is no chance of Australia taking them lightly.
Afghanistan beat England by eight runs in Lahore on Wednesday
In their last two ICC tournaments, Trott’s men beat England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to finish sixth at the 50-over World Cup and entered the semifinals of the T20 edition in 2024, beating Australia along the way.
“It’s all on the line, and since I’ve been coach, we’ve played against Australia three times and we’ve been in the game in each of those games,” former England batter Trott said before the match.
“We should take a lot of confidence from that … certainly what happened in the World Cup, T20 World Cup, and I say this to the players as well, that Afghanistan’s never going to be taken lightly ever again.
“In the past, perhaps people would have seen the fixture and thought it was a little bit easier than playing a historic Test nation.
“In this format, in these conditions, I don’t see that. Every game that we play is going to be competitive and every game we go into I expect to win.”
Trott said there was a rawness to the team when he took over in 2022, but they have grown with experience.
Advertisement
“Who knows what we can achieve?” he asked.
How can Afghanistan qualify for the semifinals?
After two points from their two games, the template is simple for Trott’s side: Beat Australia, finish with four points and seal a berth.
How can Australia qualify for the semifinals?
The two-time Champions Trophy winners have three points from their first two games. A win over England brought them two points, while a washed-out game against South Africa earned them one point.
All they need now is one point to finish against their opponents. Should the match end in no result, Australia will bag one point and end on four from three matches, enough to see them through.
A loss, though, will knock them out.
Lahore weather forecast
Weather could play spoilsport for the second game in a row as heavy showers are forecast in the morning. The rain shoul ease up later in the day, but is likely to affect the match.
The reigning world champions have won all four of the ODI meetings between both sides.
Form guide: Afghanistan
Before losing their opening match against South Africa, Afghanistan had won four of their six ODIs in bilateral series against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.
They bounced back from the loss in their tournament-opener to beat 2019 world champions England on Wednesday.
Advertisement
Last five ODIs: NR W W L W
Form guide: Australia
Australia arrived at the Champions Trophy on the back of two ODI series losses, including a whitewash away to Sri Lanka, but turned things around in their opening game against old rivals England.
Last five ODIs: L L L W NR
Afghanistan team news
Afghanistan are expected to field the same XI that overcame England in their last game.
Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Rahmat Shah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Ikram Alikhil (wicketkeeper), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveed Zadran, Farid Ahmad Malik, Nangeyalia Kharote
Australia team news
Australia are also unlikely to tinker with the winning XI that took them over the line against their rivals.
Squad: Steve Smith (captain), Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wicketkeeper), Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Adam Zampa, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Spencer Johnson, Tanveer Sangha