Rain is threatening to disrupt the Champions Trophy clash between Australia and Afghanistan in Lahore, which looms as a de facto quarter-final for the two nations.
The winner of Friday’s Group B clash at Gaddafi Stadium will progress through to the semi-finals, while a washout would see Steve Smith’s men qualify for the knockouts.
Australia’s previous Champions Trophy match against South Africa was abandoned due to weather, along with Thursday’s group-stage clash between Bangladesh and hosts Pakistan in Rawalpindi.
Current forecasts suggest heavy rain in Lahore on Friday morning before a possible reprieve in the afternoon, with the potential of a reduced contest deciding which team advances. If the match were shortened to a 20-over affair, for example, Australia would be tempted to parachute pinch-hitter Jake Fraser-McGurk into the starting XI.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday after Australia’s training was forced indoors due to rain, batter Marnus Labuschagne denied the reigning world champions were praying for rain.
“As players, you always want to play,” Labuschagne said.
“Obviously if the match is rained out tomorrow, that means we go through to the semi-finals. But obviously we’d love to win the game tomorrow and finish top in the pool.
“Those things are out of our control.”
Marnus Labuschagne of Australia. Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images
Australia and Afghanistan have previously faced off in four ODIs, with the six-time world champions emerging victorious on each occasion. However, Afghanistan has been in a winning position during their three previous encounters against Australia in ICC events.
During the 2022 T20 World Cup, Afghanistan fell four runs short in a run chase at Adelaide Oval, while Glenn Maxwell’s career-defining double-hundred rescued the Australians after they slipped to 7-91 while chasing 292 in Mumbai during the 2023 World Cup.
Last year, Afghanistan knocked Mitchell Marsh’s side out of the T20 World Cup courtesy of a historic 21-run triumph in Kingstown, the Asian nation’s first victory over Australia in any format.
And on Friday, Afghanistan has an opportunity to eliminate Australia from an ICC event for the second time in eight months.
“It’s all on the line,” Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott said this week.
“Since I’ve been coach we’ve played against Australia three times and we’ve been in the game each of those games, so we should take a lot of confidence from that.
“I think certainly what happened in the T20 World Cup, and I say this to the players as well, that Afghanistan’s never going to be taken lightly ever again.
“So we’ve got to be prepared because I know Australia aren’t going to take us lightly.
“Whereas in the past, perhaps people would have seen the fixture and thought it was a little bit easier than playing a historic Test nation.
“But in this format, in these conditions, I don’t see that. I see every game that we play is going to be competitive and every game we go into I expect to win.”
Australia's Glenn Maxwell celebrates. Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP
Maxwell boasts a remarkable record against Afghanistan, blasting 408 runs at 136.00 with a strike rate of 165.18 across formats, including four 50+ scores in six knocks.
Superstar Rahisd Khan confessed Maxwell’s Mumbai heroics gave him “nightmares”, but Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi denied his teammates were fixated on one player ahead of Friday’s must-win clash.
“You think we will come only to play with Maxwell? Do you think it will be like that?” Shahidi quipped.
“We have been planning for the whole Australian team. I know he played really well in the 2023 World Cup, but that’s part of history. After that, we beat them in the T20 World Cup. We think about the entire opposition team, not just one player. We are preparing for Australia, not just Maxwell.”
Cricket Australia has boycotted bilateral matches against Afghanistan since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, taking a stance against the extremist group’s oppression of women, which includes a ban on playing sports and education. However, Australia continues to play Afghanistan in ICC events, which has drawn some criticism over the years.
ICC full members are required to have an active women’s side, but the ACB or national men’s team are yet to be sanctioned.
“Personally for me, I’ve got no issues with playing tomorrow,” Labuschagne said.
“But obviously there have been some stances from Cricket Australia in the past.
“We’re just focusing on tomorrow.”
Afghanistan doesn’t host international cricket due to the nation’s political instability, but sharing a border with Pakistan, Friday’s match in Lahore will feel like a home match for Shahidi’s men.
“Obviously we’d love to win tomorrow and silence the crowd,” Labuchgane continued.
The ODI between Australia and Afghanistan, weather pending, gets underway at 8pm AEDT.
