Afghanistan will face a stiff challenge when they face Australia in a crucial Group B encounter a Lahore on February 28. The match will be extremely important for both the sides as the winner guarantees a place in the semi-finals.
However, a significant rain threat is looming large on this match. If the rain washes out this match, the scenarios will become more complicated, especially for Afghanistan and South Africa. The match between Australia and South Africa from Group B was already washed out earlier.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has been badly affected by rain as two out of the first nine matches have already been washed out due to rain. Out of those nine matches, seven have been played in Pakistan and both the washed out games were scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi.
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Can Afghanistan qualify if their match vs Australia is washed out?
If this match is washed out due to rain, Australia will secure the qualification for the semi-finals with four points to their name. However, their standings will only be determined after the match between England and South Africa on Saturday (March 1).
While a washed out game won't affect Australia, it will leave both Afghanistan and South Africa in contention for the other semi-final spot from Group B. If South Africa defeat England on Saturday, they will ensure their qualification as the first-placed team from Group B.
Meanwhile, if England defeat South Africa, both Afghans and the Proteas will be tied on the points and it will come down to the Net Run Rate (NRR) to decide the other semi-finalist from the group alongside Australia.
In that case, South Africa seem favorites to qualify further as they have a much superior NRR as compared to Afghanistan currently. South Africa defeated Afghanistan by a huge margin of 107 runs in their first match, and the huge margin of victory will come in handy.
If South Africa qualifies this way, it will be a huge disappointment for the Afghan team and their passionate supporters. They will hope that this game goes on without any hindrance of rain to give them the best chance to secure the qualification.
What happens if Afghanistan win?
If Afghanistan win this game against Australia, they will directly qualify for the semi-finals, leaving out both Australia and South Africa fighting for a single spot. In that case, South Africa can qualify straight away by defeating England in Karachi.
If the Proteas lose, it will come down to the NRR between them and Australia. South Africa just need to ensure that they don't lose the match by a big margin, otherwise, they are on track to qualify for the next round.
If Australia wins this match, they will qualify for the semi-finals, leaving both Afghanistan and South Africa vying for the same spot. In this case, South Africa seem favorites based on their NRR.
Hashmatullah Shahidi and his team will be hoping to win the match as it is their best chance to beat Australia in an ODI. The Australian team came into this tournament without their first-choice fast bowlers who are out due to various reasons.
Champions Trophy 2025 at crucial stage
The Champions Trophy 2025 is at a crucial stage currently with only two teams having qualified for the next round so far. Only India and New Zealand have secured qualification so far from Group A as Pakistan and Bangladesh have been eliminated.
England are the only team who have been eliminated from Group B so far. All the other three teams are fighting for two spots. The first semi-final will be played in Dubai on March 4 while the second semi-final will be held in Lahore on March 5.
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