Islamabad, Feb 28: Eyeing a semifinal spot, Australia’s historic pedigree in cricket’s biggest tournaments will count for nothing when they run into an Afghanistan side that is fast cementing its place in the game’s top table, in the Champions Trophy here on Friday.Basking in the afterglow of their memorable win over England at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday, Afghanistan have a realistic chance of making their second successive semifinals of a global event, less than a year after their entry into the last four stage of the T20 World Cup in the Americas.
On the other hand, a win for Australia will secure their passage to the semifinals of the tournament while eliminating Afghanistan with a game to spare.
However, it is easier said than done. For one, for all their firepower in batting, Australia are without their three leading fast bowlers in Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.
The trio’s absence was felt as England racked up a 350-plus total in their tournament opener before the Aussies rode on Josh Inglis’s counterattacking hundred to emerge victorious by five wickets and 15 balls to spare.
Two-time winners Australia are seeking to regain the Champions Trophy title after a gap of 15 years. They had won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2009 but have failed to reach the finals in the 2013 and 2017 editions, after which the event was discontinued.
In the absence of their big fast bowlers, Australia know that their strength lies in batting with the likes of Travis Head, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Glenn Maxwell capable of inflicting plenty of damage on the opposition bowling attack.
While there is no doubt the absence of regulars has weakened the team, it has also provided an opportunity for the young turks to impress, cement their place in the side, and carry forward the rich Australian legacy in marquee events.
Australia are expected to produce a strong performance with the bat but for people like Ben Dwarshuis, Spencer Johnson, Nathan Ellis, and Adam Zampa, who will shoulder the responsibility with the ball in challenging conditions, they are aware that they will have to put their best foot forward if they are to progress from the group stage. Dwarshuis and Johnson were profligate against England (the match against South Africa was washed out), and they will look to make amends on Thursday, and in Zampa, Australia have a spinner capable of exploiting the conditions in Pakistan.
As far as Afghanistan are concerned, their batting will be spearheaded by swashbuckling opener Ibrahim Zadran, whose 177 against England is now the highest individual score in the Champions Trophy.
Having lost to the Afghans in the T20 World Cup last year, Australia will not take their upcoming opponents lightly, and Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott acknowledged that in the press conference after the victory over England.
But Trott has no reasons to worry as he also has a formidable bowling attack at his disposal with Azmatullah Omarzai leading the pace unit besides the spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mahammad Nabi and Noor Ahmad.