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Afghanistan vs Australia Champions Trophy Tips - Virtual knockout

By Sridhar Bhamidi

27 Feb 2025

Sridhar Bhamidi 27 Feb 2025

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Afghanistan vs Australia Champions Trophy ODI match predictions to be played in Lahore on Friday, February 28
Afghanistan won 5 of their last 9 Champions Trophy ODIs
Australia lost 2 of their last 3 ODIs at this venue

Can Afghanistan continue their giant-killiing act and surprise Australia? (Getty Images)

Afghanistan vs Australia Champions Trophy

After a stunning win over England on Wednesday, Afghanistan will hope to repeat the feat against Australia with a place in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-finals up for grabs. This match #10 features two Group B sides and will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday, with the game starting at 2:30 pm IST.

Afghanistan vs Australia Champions Trophy
Head to Head
Afghanistan Form
Afghanistan Team News
Australia Form
Australia Team News
Afghanistan vs Australia Champions Trophy FAQs

This is a virtual knockout match for both sides as the winner gets a top-two finish and the loser crashes out. Australia won’t mind a washout and a no result, but conditions look bright for a full game. It could be Afghanistan’s chance to strike big, and they may enjoy doing just that.

Afghanistan have won 5 of their last 9 Champions Trophy matches (ODIs).
Ibrahim Zadran has scored 129* and 51 in his two innings against Australia in white-ball cricket (all formats).
Australia lost 2 of their last 3 matches played at this venue (ODIs).
Australia lost 3 of their last 5 completed matches in the Champions Trophy (ODIs).

Head to Head

Afghanistan has played Australia in four ODIs so far, with the Kangaroos winning all four. The last of those was played at the Wankhede Stadium in the 2023 World Cup, where a stunning Glenn Maxwell double century won the match by three wickets.

Ibrahim Zadran led with a 129* for Afghanistan to post 291 for 5. In the chase, with the score reading 91 for 7, it looked like a humiliating defeat for the Aussies. Maxwell had other ideas, leading the counterattack with an unbeaten 201 off 128 balls.

Afghanistan Form

Afghanistan have two points after two matches, but a negative run rate of 0.990. Their heavy 107-run defeat against South Africa was a reason for that, although they bounced back with a stunning eight-run win over Australia.

Zadran’s stunning 177 against England was the platform on which Afghanistan exploded to score 325. They will look for another masterclass from their consistent opener, who has also scored a century in his last ODI against Australia.

It is Azmatullah Omarzai, though, who proved to be the perfect bowler for these conditions. His lengths were immaculate as he ran away with figures of 5 for 58 to win the game.

The challenge is to get more from the experienced Rashid Khan (one wicket) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (16 runs) as they face a virtual knockout.

Afghanistan Team News

With little turnaround time from their match against England, Afghanistan may use the same XI. Unless there are any niggles or an inclination to bench the underperforming Sediqullah Atal.

Australia Form

Australia have three points and a positive NRR of 0.475 after winning against England and the game against South Africa was abandoned without a toss.

Another point is enough to qualify for the knockouts, while a win coupled with South Africa’s failure to win against England will guarantee a top spot.

It was Jos Inglis (120* off 86) who led the show against England with support from Alex Carey (69) and Matt Short (63). The Kangaroos will hope for some better contributions from the top order.

The bowlers will look to get their act together, as only Adam Zampa (2 for 64) looked in control of his game.

Australia Team News

Australia may look to include Tanveer Sangha or Sean Abbott in place of Spencer Johnson.

Afghanistan vs Australia Champions Trophy FAQs

Where can I watch the Afghanistan vs Australia Champions Trophy live stream?

Our live streaming calendar shows you where to watch the Afghanistan vs Australia Champions Trophy live stream.

What time does Afghanistan vs Australia Champions Trophy start?

This Afghanistan vs Australia Champions Trophy match is being played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore starting at 2:30 p.m. IST on Friday, February 28.

Verdict

Afghanistan v Australia - One Day Match

Afghanistan showed the world that they can’t be taken lightly with an impressive win over England. Although England did their bit with some poor play at crucial junctures, Afghanistan deserves all the accolades. Will the adrenaline push them against another giant? I am backing Afghanistan to trick the Aussies.