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Key occasions
twenty first over: Afghanistan 98-3 (Sediq 43, Hashmat 1) Hashmat prices Maxwell and almosta yorks himself. He’s struggling to rotate stroke initially of his innings; in truth he’s 1 not out from 12 balls.
twentieth over: Afghanistan 94-3 (Sediq 42, Hashmat 1) Matthew Quick comes on for Zampa. It’s a very good time for him to make use of up a few overs, with Afghanistan needing to rebuild once more, and he concedes solely a single to Sediq.
nineteenth over: Afghanistan 93-3 (Sediq 41, Hashmat 1)
WICKET! Afghanistan 91-3 (Rahmat c Inglis b Maxwell 10)
Glenn Maxwell is a canny outdated rogue. The ball after being pulled meatily for 4, he will get Rahmat with a faster supply from across the wicket that brushes the sting and is effectively caught by Inglis as much as the stumps. Australia are taking wickets at wonderful occasions.
18th over: Afghanistan 87-2 (Sediq 40, Rahmat 6) A full toss from Zampa is clumped over mid-off for 4 by Sediq, the primary boundary in seven overs. Regardless of that wicket, Zampa hasn’t began brilliantly.
seventeenth over: Afghanistan 80-2 (Sediq 35, Rahmat 6) In contrast to, a-hem, some groups on this event, Afghanistan are completely happy to take a number of overs to rebuild after they lose a wicket. That’s what’s taking place now in opposition to Maxwell and Zampa. Rahmat will get a few bonus runs due to a misfield from Quick.
sixteenth over: Afghanistan 75-2 (Sediq 34, Rahmat 2) The ball is stopping barely for the spinners, most likely because of the quantity of rain within the final 48 hours. One other good over from Zampa, 4 from it.
fifteenth over: Afghanistan 71-2 (Sediq 31, Rahmat 1) A maiden from Maxwell to Rahmat. You’ve acquired to like the ebb and circulate of 50-over cricket: after scoring 48 in six overs, Afghanistan have added three within the final three for the lack of their greatest batter.
14th over: Afghanistan 71-2 (Sediq 31, Rahmat 1) Ibrahim seemed crestfallen as he walked off. He’s such a key participant, the person most probably to bat nearly all of his innings, and his dismissal places Australia again on prime.
WICKET! Afghanistan 70-2 (Ibrahim c Labuschagne b Zampa 22)
An enormous second. Adam Zampa has struck along with his third ball, an extended hop that Ibrahim cuts straight to Labuschagne at level. It was so vast that Ibrahim needed to attain for the ball and was unable to regulate the stroke.
thirteenth over: Afghanistan 70-1 (Ibrahim 22, Sediq 31) Glenn Maxwell replaces Spencer Johnson, who bowled an erratic spell of 6-0-37-1. I ponder whether Maxwell’s aura extends to his bowling when he performs in opposition to Afghanistan. We’ll discover out at present I suppose.
Maxwell begins effectively, discovering a touch of flip and conceding solely two singles.
twelfth over: Afghanistan 68-1 (Ibrahim 21, Sediq 30) It’s an indication of Ibrahim’s class that he has made 21 from 23 balls virtually with out hint. Sediq has been extra eye-catching, each in his strokeplay and his false strokes. He has one other second of fortune when an inside-edge off Ellis flies previous the stumps.
eleventh over: Afghanistan 63-1 (Ibrahim 18, Sediq 28) Johnson once more drifts onto the pads and is put away for 4 by Sediq.
That is getting a bit worrying for Australia, who’ve conceded 39 from the final 5 overs. In these situations they may use a fourth seamer, even when it’s only for a few overs. Perhaps it’s time for Marnus to indicate off his medium tempo.
tenth over: Afghanistan 54-1 (Ibrahim 15, Sediq 22) Nathan Ellis replaces Dwarshuis, who bowled an affordable spell of 4-0-13-0. A large slower ball is slammed to the extra-cover boundary by Ibrahim, although he’s crushed both aspect of that boundary.
As Aaron Finch says on commentary, there’s sufficient on this pitch that Australia don’t want to combine it up at this stage: “bowl your first-class size”.
ninth over: Afghanistan 48-1 (Ibrahim 11, Sediq 21) A unfastened ball from Johnson is touched high-quality for 4 by Sediq. It’s onerous to evaluate Johnson’s spell as a result of he has actually struggled to regulate his line but he may simply have three-for.
One factor we are able to all agree on: Australia would love a second wicket asap. Regardless of some bushy moments, the scoreboard appears wholesome for Afghanistan.
eighth over: Afghanistan 41-1 (Ibrahim 10, Sediq 16) Afghanistan are beginning to play extra freely. Zadran square-drives Dwarshuis for his first boundary, then Sediq slices a drive previous backward level for a pair. Extras (15) is now not the highest scorer.
seventh over: Afghanistan 33-1 (Ibrahim 5, Sediq 13) One other fast single for Ibrahim, who performed a unfastened stroke to his first ball however has seemed calm and safe since then.
When Johnson throws up a tempter outdoors off, Sediq nails a stupendous extra-cover drive for 4. He performs an identical stroke for 3 extra later within the over.
sixth over: Afghanistan 24-1 (Ibrahim 4, Sediq 6) Ibrahim is beginning to rotate strike in his ordinary unobtrusive manner. The issue is that Sediq is struggling to do the identical, so Ibrahim has confronted solely six of the primary 36 deliveries.
Sediq is a gifted younger participant however he’s actually struggling right here. He has a lusty hack at Dwarshuis and is crushed, edges a fraction brief of Quick at first slip after which misses one other swipe outdoors off stump.
fifth over: Afghanistan 23-1 (Ibrahim 3, Sediq 6) Johnson, who’s transferring the ball each within the air and on the pitch, beats Sediq with three successive deliveries. As Ian Smith says on commentary, Afghanistan simply must get by means of this spell – it’s high-quality if they’re 40 for 1 after 10 overs.
4th over: Afghanistan 20-1 (Ibrahim 1, Sediq 5) To date Dwarshuis has been capable of management the swing fairly effectively; two from his second over.
third over: Afghanistan 18-1 (Ibrahim 1, Sediq 3) Ibrahim Zadran is crushed by his first ball, a magnificence from Johnson that strikes away from a full size. It was a unfastened drive from Ibrahim, whose judgement was so good in opposition to England.
It received’t be a shock if he fails at present. It’s onerous, particularly for younger gamers, to observe up the innings of their life at any time, by no means thoughts when it was lower than 48 hours in the past.
Ibrahim will get off the mark with a single, then Sediq is crushed by a surprising supply that seams previous the within edge, simply misses off stump and swings away for 4 byes. Johnson is mixing jaffas and filth; his subsequent ball is speared down the leg aspect for 5 wides, then he beats each batters outdoors off stump.
Some over that: he beat the sting 4 occasions and conceded 12, 10 of them in extras.
2nd over: Afghanistan 6-1 (Ibrahim 0, Sediq 2) There’s some swing for Dwarshuis, who beats the left-handed Sediqullah Atal with a few jaffas. Steve Smith has a extremely attacking fiekd: two slips, gully and backward level.
A misfield from Labuschagne provides Sediq the primary runs off the bat.
1st over: Afghanistan 4-1 (Ibrahim 0, Sediq 0) Johnson’s line was barely off for a lot of that over – the 4 runs have been all leg-byes or wides – however that ball to Gurbaz was as close to excellent as dammit.
WICKET! Afghanistan 3-1 (Gurbaz b Johnson 0)
An ideal begin for Australia! Spencer Johnson has cleaned up the harmful Rahmanullah Gurbaz with a fantastic yorker. Mitch Starc couldn’t have finished it higher: it curved in, sneaked underneath the bat and pinged the skin of off stump. Gurbaz lingered for ages, not fairly capable of take it in. He did nothing improper; it was an absolute jaffa.
Time for the motion to start. It’s lower than 48 hours since Ibrahim Zadran made an exceptional 177 in opposition to England. His skill to go once more, or in any other case, will probably be a key a part of this recreation.
Crew information
Each groups are unchanged from their wins over England.
Afghanistan Ibrahim, Gurbaz (wk), Sediq, Rahmat, Hashmat (c), Azmat, Nabi, Gulbadin, Rashid, Noor, Farooqi.
Australia Head, Quick, Smith (c), Labuschagne, Inglis (wk), Carey, Maxwell, Dwarshuis, Ellis, Zampa, Johnson.
Afghanistan win the toss and bat
That’s no shock given their skill to squeeze the sport within the second innings. It’s a used pitch which ought to carry their spinners into the sport; the seamers took seven of the ten England wickets to fall on Wednesday.
Steve Smith says Australia would have bowled so he’s completely happy sufficient. There’s an opportunity of a DLS chase, given the climate forecast, so there’s loads of advantage in batting second as effectively.
Preamble
Rob Smyth
On 10 October 2000, South Africa thrashed England by eight wickets in Nairobi, Kenya. Shaun Pollock took 3 for 27, Jacques Kallis stroked a simple 78. That match was the final quarter-final to be performed within the Champions Trophy, however provided that you’re taking this stuff actually.
The group format that has been used within the Champions League since 2000 has produced plenty of de facto quarter-finals, together with a memorable match between India and Australia in 2006. The most recent takes place in Lahore at present, the place Afghanistan and Australia meet for the proper to face both India or New Zealand within the semi-finals.
Afghanistan dumped England out of the event on Wednesday in an exciting match that confirmed their standing as one of many world’s greatest white-ball sides. It’s not that way back that Afghanistan have been harmful opponents who on their day may bother one of the best group; now they’re simply actually, actually good.
They might have crushed Australia on the 50-over World Cup however for Glenn Maxwell’s mind-blowing 201 not out. They did beat Australia, decisively so, in final 12 months’s T20 World Cup.
There’s a little bit of rain forecast in Lahore, although nothing to counsel we received’t get a optimistic end result. Australia can theoretically lose at present and nonetheless undergo, however it might want England to marmalise South Africa tomorrow. In actuality, all of it comes right down to this.
Climate allowing, play will begin in Lahore at 2pm native/8pm AEDT/9am GMT.
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