Key events
7th over: Afghanistan 33-1 (Ibrahim 5, Sediq 13) Another quick single for Ibrahim, who played a loose stroke to his first ball but has looked calm and secure since then.
When Johnson throws up a tempter outside off, Sediq nails a beautiful extra-cover drive for four. He plays a similar stroke for three more later in the over.
6th over: Afghanistan 24-1 (Ibrahim 4, Sediq 6) Ibrahim is starting to rotate strike in his usual unobtrusive way. The problem is that Sediq is struggling to do the same, so Ibrahim has faced only six of the first 36 deliveries.
Sediq is a talented young player but he’s really struggling here. He has a lusty hack at Dwarshuis and is beaten, edges a fraction short of Short at first slip and then misses another swipe outside off stump.
5th over: Afghanistan 23-1 (Ibrahim 3, Sediq 6) Johnson, who is moving the ball both in the air and on the pitch, beats Sediq with three successive deliveries. As Ian Smith says on commentary, Afghanistan just need to get through this spell – it’s fine if they are 40 for 1 after 10 overs.
4th over: Afghanistan 20-1 (Ibrahim 1, Sediq 5) So far Dwarshuis has been able to control the swing pretty well; two from his second over.
3rd over: Afghanistan 18-1 (Ibrahim 1, Sediq 3) Ibrahim Zadran is beaten by his first ball, a beauty from Johnson that moves away from a full length. It was a loose drive from Ibrahim, whose judgement was so good against England.
It won’t be a surprise if he fails today. It’s hard, especially for young players, to follow up the innings of their life at any time, never mind when it was less than 48 hours ago.
Ibrahim gets off the mark with a single, then Sediq is beaten by a stunning delivery that seams past the inside edge, just misses off stump and swings away for four byes. Johnson is mixing jaffas and filth; his next ball is speared down the leg side for five wides, then he beats both batters outside off stump.
Some over that: he beat the edge four times 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 couple of jaffas. Steve Smith has a really attacking fiekd: two slips, gully and backward point.
A misfield from Labuschagne gives Sediq the first runs off the bat.
1st over: Afghanistan 4-1 (Ibrahim 0, Sediq 0) Johnson’s line was slightly off for much of that over – the four runs were all leg-byes or wides – but that ball to Gurbaz was as near perfect as dammit.
WICKET! Afghanistan 3-1 (Gurbaz b Johnson 0)
A perfect start for Australia! Spencer Johnson has cleaned up the dangerous Rahmanullah Gurbaz with a fantastic yorker. Mitch Starc couldn’t have done it better: it curved in, sneaked under the bat and pinged the outside of off stump. Gurbaz lingered for ages, not quite able to take it in. He did nothing wrong; it was an absolute jaffa.
Time for the action to begin. It’s less than 48 hours since Ibrahim Zadran made a phenomenal 177 against England. His ability to go again, or otherwise, will be a key part of this game.
Team news
Both teams are unchanged from their wins over England.
Afghanistan Ibrahim, Gurbaz (wk), Sediq, Rahmat, Hashmat (c), Azmat, Nabi, Gulbadin, Rashid, Noor, Farooqi.
Australia Head, Short, Smith (c), Labuschagne, Inglis (wk), Carey, Maxwell, Dwarshuis, Ellis, Zampa, Johnson.
Afghanistan win the toss and bat
That’s no surprise given their ability to squeeze the game in the second innings. It’s a used pitch which should bring their spinners into the game; the seamers took seven of the 10 England wickets to fall on Wednesday.
Steve Smith says Australia would have bowled so he’s happy enough. There’s a chance of a DLS chase, given the weather forecast, so there’s plenty of merit in batting second as well.
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 an effortless 78. That match was the last quarter-final to be played in the Champions Trophy, but only if you take these things literally.
The group format that has been used in the Champions League since 2000 has produced a number of de facto quarter-finals, including a memorable match between India and Australia in 2006. The latest takes place in Lahore today, where Afghanistan and Australia meet for the right to face either India or New Zealand in the semi-finals.
Afghanistan dumped England out of the tournament on Wednesday in a thrilling match that confirmed their status as one of the world’s best white-ball sides. It’s not that long ago that Afghanistan were dangerous opponents who on their day could trouble the best team; now they’re just really, really good.
They would have beaten Australia at the 50-over World Cup but for Glenn Maxwell’s mind-blowing 201 not out. They did beat Australia, decisively so, in last year’s T20 World Cup.
There’s a bit of rain forecast in Lahore, though nothing to suggest we won’t get a positive result. Australia can theoretically lose today and still go through, but it would need England to marmalise South Africa tomorrow. In reality, it all comes down to this.
Weather permitting, play will start in Lahore at 2pm local/8pm AEDT/9am GMT.
