A washout that benefits neither side has left Australia and South Africa with work to do in their quest for a Champions Trophy semi-final spot.
The winner of their abandoned match would have all but secured a place in the last four, but with no result, both teams now face crucial final group-stage fixtures. South Africa remains ahead of Australia on net run rate, but both sides could be relying on other results if they fail to win their next games.
Australia will take on Afghanistan in Lahore on Friday, followed by South Africa’s showdown with England on Saturday.
The Aussies are well aware of Afghanistan’s ability to cause upsets. They lost a critical match to them in the 2024 T20 World Cup and only narrowly escaped defeat in the 2023 ODI World Cup, thanks to Glenn Maxwell’s heroic double-century.
“Yeah, Afghanistan are a dangerous side on their day, like every team in this tournament,” Australian captain Steve Smith said after the washout. “That’s the beauty of this tournament—anyone can have a good day. We’ll need to be at our best next game.”
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By the time South Africa faces England, the semi-final picture will be much clearer. However, Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma insists his team won’t be distracted by scenarios.
“Our mindset is to go into the game and win,” Bavuma told reporters. “England, on paper, are one of the stronger sides, so we know we’ll have to be at our best.
“But for now, we’ve got a couple of days to rest before shifting our focus to that clash.”
Much will depend on Wednesday’s match between England and Afghanistan—the two winless teams in Group B—as their result could have major implications for Australia and South Africa’s path to the semi-finals.
