Australia vs Afghanistan, 10th Match, Group B at Lahore, Champions Trophy, Feb 28 2025 – Live Cricket Score

Australia vs Afghanistan Live Blog: Rain halts Head and Australia’s march

NO RESULT

Rain Stops Play in Lahore

The match between Afghanistan and Australia has stopped because of rain! 🌧️ The rain started in the 13th over while Australia was chasing the target. They had scored 109 runs for 1 wicket, and now they need 4.43 runs per over to win.

The rain is heavy, and the ground is getting wet. Many fans, mostly Afghanistan supporters, are leaving the stands to find a dry place.

Travis Head Scores Fifty Fast!

Travis Head is playing aggressively! 💥 He has reached his fifty (50 runs) in just 34 balls. He hit Farooqi hard, scoring 28 runs off 17 balls. But Afghanistan’s bowling has not been great—they are giving him easy balls to hit.

Bad news for Afghanistan: Head is looking dangerous and might score even more! 😬

Dropped Catch! But Then Out!

Afghanistan missed a big chance! 😱 Matt Short was on 19 runs when Kharote dropped an easy catch at deep square leg off Omarzai’s bowling. Kharote looked confused, maybe because of the bright lights.

But two balls later, Short gave another catch, and this time Gulbadin Naib caught it at mid-on. Afghanistan is still in the game! 💪

Short Hits Big Shots!

In one over, Omarzai gave away 14 runs as Short smashed 4, 6, 4. Even though he is struggling to move his feet, he is using his hands well to hit the ball hard.

In the next over, Farooqi almost got Travis Head out, but Rashid dropped the catch at mid-on! 😲 The very next ball? Head hit a six! 🎯

Short is Not Fully Fit

Matt Short has an injury, but he is still opening the batting for Australia. He cannot move his feet properly, so he is just using his hands to hit the ball. Will this affect Travis Head’s batting too? 🤔

Omarzai Lifts Afghanistan to 273 Runs!

Azmatullah Omarzai played a brilliant innings! 💥 He scored 67 runs from 63 balls, hitting 5 sixes and 1 four.

Afghanistan was struggling at 199 for 7 wickets, but Omarzai played fearlessly and helped the team reach 273 runs.

Australia’s bowlers were trying to bowl slow balls, but Omarzai created his own power and smashed them, especially Nathan Ellis. One of his sixes was a huge shot straight down the ground! 💪

Now, it’s up to Afghanistan’s spinners to stop Australia and win the match! 🏏🔥

Fair Play by Smith!

There was a strange moment in the match. Omarzai hit the ball and took a run with Noor. Noor thought the over was finished and stepped out of his crease.

Inglis (the wicketkeeper) quickly removed the bails and appealed for a run-out. The umpires were about to check the TV replay, but Australia’s captain, Steve Smith, withdrew the appeal. This means Noor was not out. What a great act of sportsmanship! 👏

Rashid Hits a Four, Then Gets Out!

Rashid Khan hit a good shot for four runs when Dwarshuis bowled a short ball. But the next ball was straighter, and Rashid mistimed it. He got out for 19 runs, caught at long-on. 😟

Now, Afghanistan is in trouble—if Omarzai gets out, the team might be bowled out soon! 😨

Afghanistan Losing More Wickets 😟

Afghanistan is in trouble! Nabi and Naib both got out in just three overs, and now the team is 199 for 7 wickets. At first, the Australian bowlers used swing and seam to trouble the Afghan batters, but now they are using slower balls and bounce to take wickets. Omarzai is still batting, and Rashid Khan is also a good batter. Can they save Afghanistan?

Shahidi Struggles to Score 😕

Today, Afghan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi is playing very slowly. His strike rate is 40.81, meaning he scored 20 runs from 49 balls. This is one of the slowest innings by an Afghan batter in recent years. He has played slowly before, like against Bangladesh in 2023 (22 off 54 balls) and 2024 (17 off 40 balls).

Omarzai Breaks the Silence with a Big Six! 💥

For a long time, Afghanistan couldn’t hit any boundaries (33 balls without one!). But finally, Omarzai smashed a huge six over midwicket in the 35th over! This was the first boundary hit against Australian bowler Short in this match.

But bad news followed! In the next over, Shahidi tried to sweep a ball from Zampa, but he mistimed it and got out for 20 runs off 49 balls. Now Afghanistan is 176 for 5 wickets in the 36th over.

Atal Falls Short of His Century 😔

Sediqullah Atal was playing a great innings but got out just 15 runs short of his century (100). He had hit some big sixes off Zampa, but then Spencer Johnson bowled a tricky delivery that made Atal mis-hit his shot. The ball went straight to Smith, and Atal was out. Afghanistan is now 159 for 4 wickets in the 32nd over.

Afghan Fans Fill the Stadium 🇦🇫🎉

The match is being played in Lahore, Pakistan, and it feels like a home game for Afghanistan! Most of the crowd is supporting Afghanistan, waving flags and wearing face paint. There are a few Australian fans, but the Afghan fans are much louder! Since Pakistan is out of the tournament, many Pakistanis are also cheering for Afghanistan.

Atal Reaches His Fifty!

Sediqullah Atal scored his third fifty in eight ODI matches! He reached the milestone in style by hitting a big six off Maxwell over mid-on. He took 64 balls to reach 50 runs.

Right after that, Shahidi almost got out but survived thanks to an inside edge. Australia is now using two off-spinners, Maxwell and Short, to keep the pressure on Afghanistan.

Maxwell Takes Another Wicket for Australia!

Australian bowler Glenn Maxwell got an important wicket! He bowled a tricky delivery that made Rahmat edge the ball to the wicketkeeper. Rahmat had hit a boundary earlier, but Maxwell bowled a much fuller ball, which forced the mistake.

Now Afghanistan is 91 for 3 wickets in the 19th over. Australia’s spinners are doing a great job on this slow pitch!

Zadran is Out!

Oh no! Ibrahim Zadran is out after working so hard! He played well against the fast bowlers, Johnson and Dwarshuis, but then he made a mistake. He tried to hit a ball from Zampa but ended up sending it straight to the fielder. He scored 22 runs from 28 balls before getting out. Zadran looks very upset with himself. Now, Rahmat Shah comes in to bat with Sediqullah Atal. Afghanistan is 70 runs for 2 wickets in the 14th over.

Afghanistan’s Batters Struggled at the Start

Wow! Afghanistan’s batters missed the ball 20 times in the first 10 overs! That means the bowlers were really strong. No other big cricket team has missed the ball this much in the first 10 overs of a One Day International (ODI) match since 2023. Even Australia missed 20 times in a match against England last year.

Atal is Playing with Confidence!

Sediqullah Atal, a 23-year-old player, is looking confident! At first, he was missing the ball a lot, but he stayed calm and didn’t panic. That’s why Afghanistan trusts him to bat at number 3, a position where Rahmat Shah played for many matches. Since there was no space for Atal at the top with Zadran and Gurbaz, the team moved him to number 3 and Rahmat to number 4.

Now, the ball is not moving as much, and Atal is playing some beautiful shots. He hit a few good fours against Johnson, who is struggling to bowl properly. On the other side, Zadran is playing smartly—defending the good balls and attacking the bad ones. Afghanistan is doing well, scoring 63 runs for 1 wicket in 11 overs!

Afghanistan wins the toss and bats first! 🏏

The Afghan captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi, decides his team will bat first. He thinks the pitch might get slower later, so batting now is better. Australia is okay with bowling first. Both teams keep the same players as before.

Australia’s Fast Start with the Ball

The match begins, and Australia’s bowlers are making the ball move a lot in the air and off the pitch! 🌪️ But they are also giving away many extra runs—already 15 extras in just 7 overs! That’s a lot!

The Australian bowlers are trying to get early wickets, but they are struggling to control their swing. The Afghan batters, Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal, are fighting hard to stay at the crease.

Johnson Strikes Like a Star! 🌟

Australian bowler Spencer Johnson starts a bit shaky—his first two balls give away extra runs. But then, he bowls an amazing inswinging yorker to Rahmanullah Gurbaz! 💥 The ball is fast (141 km/h!), swings in, and hits the stumps! OUT! 🎯

This is bad news for Afghanistan because Gurbaz hasn’t scored many runs in this tournament (10, 6, 0). They needed a big score from him today.

The Ball is Moving Crazy! 🎾

Johnson continues his great bowling. He makes the ball swing a lot, beating both Atal and the wicketkeeper, Josh Inglis. Some balls are so tricky that they go for 4 byes and 5 wides! 😲

Even Ibrahim Zadran is struggling as the ball keeps moving dangerously. Johnson is making life hard for Afghanistan’s batters!

The match is heating up! Can Afghanistan build a strong total, or will Australia keep taking wickets? Let’s find out! 🔥🏏