Champions Trophy: Australia face Afghanistan with semifinal berth at stake

NEW DELHI: Australia are aiming for a semifinal slot, but their long history in cricket's biggest competitions will be for nothing when they face an Afghanistan team that is quickly solidifying its position at the top of the table in the Champions Trophy in Lahore on Friday.
In the aftermath of their historic victory over England at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday, Afghanistan has a chance to advance to the semifinals of a major tournament for the second time in a row. This comes less than a year after they qualified for the final four of the T20 World Cup in the Americas.
However, a victory for Australia would guarantee their spot in the tournament's semifinals and eliminate Afghanistan with one game remaining.
It's easier said than done, though. For starters, despite their batting prowess, Australia lack their three best fast bowlers, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc.
The three were missed as England amassed a total of over 350 in their tournament opener before the Australians won by five wickets with 15 balls remaining thanks to a counterattacking century from Josh Inglis.
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.
With players like Travis Head, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, and Glenn Maxwell able to inflict significant damage on the opposition bowling attack, Australia knows that their strength rests in batting when their big fast bowlers are not available.
Without a doubt, the team has suffered from the loss of regulars, but it has also given the young Turks a chance to shine, solidify their spot in the squad, and continue the long Australian tradition at important events.
Australia is expected to put on a good batting display, but players like Ben Dwarshuis, Spencer Johnson, Nathan Ellis, and Adam Zampa, who will be responsible for the ball in difficult situations, know that they must give it their all if they want to advance past the group stage.
They will try to make amends on Thursday after Dwarshuis and Johnson were careless against England (the match against South Africa was canceled). Australia also has a spinner in Zampa who can take advantage of the conditions in Pakistan.
The fearless opener Ibrahim Zadran, whose 177 against England is now the highest individual score in the Champions Trophy, will lead Afghanistan's batting attack.
Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott admitted in the press conference following the victory over England that Australia will not take their next opponents lightly after losing to the Afghans in the T20 World Cup last year.
In addition to the spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mahammad Nabi, and Noor Ahmad, Trott has a strong bowling attack at his disposal, with Azmatullah Omarzai leading the pace unit.
Teams (from):
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa
Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Malik, Naveed Zadran. Reserves: Darwish Rasooli, Bilal Sami