The penultimate match in Group B of the 2025 Champions Trophy, between Australia and Afghanistan, is likely to be abandoned due to rain. Here's what that would mean for the semi-final race.
Afghanistan set Australia a target of 274 to chase, with Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai both scoring half-centuries. In response, Australia got off to a rollicking start, in part thanks to a couple of poor drops in the field from Afghanistan. Travis Head reached 50 in just 34 balls, partnered by Smith at the crease after Matthew Short fell for 20.
Match 10, Afghanistan vs Australia
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- Ball by ball Over
In the 13th over of the chase, however, rain started to fall and the players were forced from the field. The rain quickly turned into a downpour, with the prospect of play being able to resume slim. The tournament regulations require a minimum of 20 overs to be completed per side in order to constitute a result.
If the players are unable to get back on the field, the match will go down as a no result and Afghanistan and Australia will each receive one point.
What would a no-result do to the standings in Group B?
Australia would move ahead of South Africa on points to the top of Group B with a no result, while Afghanistan would be level with the Proteas on three points. However, South Africa's NRR is far superior to Afghanistan's, and thus they would remain in the semi-final qualification spots. England have already been eliminated from the tournament, thus the result does not affect them.
| Team | Played | Won | Lost | N/R | Tied | Points | NRR |
| Australia (Q) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | +0.475 |
| South Africa | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | +2.140 |
| Afghanistan | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -0.990 |
| England (E) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.305 |
Australia and South Africa's game earlier this week was also washed out, meaning that England are the only side in Group B so far without a No Result.
What would that mean for semi-final qualification?
Australia would qualify for the semi-final with a no result, while South Africa's likelihood of finishing in the top two would be significantly boosted. In reality, a no result would all but knock Afghanistan out of the competition.
The only way Afghanistan could still qualify above South Africa, would be if England beat them heavily in Karachi. Given the scale of how much England would have to win by, and that they have lost both their matches in the tournament so far, prompting their captain to stand down, the chances of the result going in Afghanistan's favour seem remote.
If they were setting South Africa a target to chase, England would need to win by at least 207 runs - if they won by 206 runs, Afghanistan and South Africa's NRR would be tied. In that case, South Africa would go through because they beat Afghanistan in the head-to-head match between the two sides.
If England were chasing against South Africa, they would have to chase 250 runs in 19 overs, or 150 in 13.3 overs, with other scores filling the gap between, in order to damage South Africa's NRR enough for them to slip below Afghanistan.
Taking this into consideration, a no-result in Lahore means that the Group B semi-final qualifiers are all but confirmed.
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