Sediqullah Atal played a smooth innings of 85 runs from 95 balls, including six fours and three sixes. Azmatullah Omarzai added an aggressive knock towards the end of the innings, helping Afghanistan reach a total of 273 runs in their 50 overs. Australian bowlers performed well as a unit, consistently disrupting Afghanistan’s attempts to build momentum. However, Afghanistan managed to score 74 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in the final overs, which allowed them to finish strongly.
Afghanistan decided to bat first on a pitch in Lahore that was expected to favor spin bowling later in the game. Australia’s Spencer Johnson made an early breakthrough, dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the first over with a fast, swinging yorker. Johnson was particularly effective with his seam movement in the initial ten overs, while his bowling partner Ben Dwarshuis also achieved significant swing. Despite the challenging bowling, Sediqullah Atal and Ibrahim Zadran managed to guide Afghanistan to 54 runs for the loss of one wicket in the powerplay overs.
The momentum of the match shifted back and forth during the middle overs. Australian spinners Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell bowled tightly, restricting the scoring rate. Zampa also dismissed Zadran, who was caught at backward point attempting a shot against the spin. Maxwell further tightened the screws with a maiden over to the new batsman Rahmat Shah and then dismissed him shortly after, leaving Afghanistan in trouble at 94 for 3 wickets in 20 overs.
Atal then began to accelerate the scoring, especially against Maxwell. Hashmatullah Shahidi supported him, and together they looked to increase the run rate. They scored runs against Zampa and Nathan Ellis, while Matthew Short bowled a few quiet overs. The pair took Afghanistan past 150 runs and looked set for a big partnership. Australia missed a chance to review a decision that could have dismissed Atal. Soon after, however, Johnson returned to dismiss Atal for 85, caught at cover by Smith.
After Atal’s dismissal, Afghanistan faltered, declining from 159 for 4 in the 32nd over to 199 for 7 in the 40th over, risking a total below 250. Omarzai and Rashid Khan then aimed to stabilize the innings and push for runs in the final overs. They added 31 runs in five overs. However, Rashid was dismissed in the 46th over, caught at long-on off Dwarshuis while attempting a big shot.
Omarzai then took responsibility to ensure a good finish for his team, scoring 29 of the 38 runs Afghanistan managed after Rashid’s wicket. He was finally dismissed in the last over by Dwarshuis, scoring 67 runs from 63 balls, including one four and five sixes. His late hitting propelled Afghanistan to 273 runs in 50 overs, giving their bowlers a good chance to secure a victory against Australia with significant implications for semifinal qualification.
Summary: Afghanistan scored 273 runs in 50 overs (Sediqullah Atal 85, Azmatullah Omarzai 67; Ben Dwarshuis 3-47, Adam Zampa 2-48, Spencer Johnson 2-49) against Australia.
