Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne has expressed no reservations about playing against Afghanistan in the upcoming Champions Trophy fixture on Friday. The high-stakes match in Lahore will determine a semi-final spot for the winner.
Australia’s stance on bilateral cricket against Afghanistan remains a point of discussion, as the team has previously refused to play them outside of ICC events in protest against the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s cricket and broader gender-based exclusions. However, the two sides have met in ICC tournaments since 2021, including the past three World Cups.
“It’s an ICC tournament,” Labuschagne stated. “Personally, I have no issues playing tomorrow. Cricket Australia has taken past stances, but our focus is on the game against Afghanistan.”
The match is expected to draw significant local support for Afghanistan, effectively giving them a home-crowd advantage in Lahore. Labuschagne acknowledged the challenge but remained undeterred.
Australia and South Africa Face Off for Group Supremacy
“We’d love to win tomorrow and silence the crowd,” he said. “For us, it’s about sticking to our process, embracing the contest, and performing at our best regardless of the conditions.”
However, rain could play a decisive role. Australia’s training session was moved indoors on Thursday, while Afghanistan canceled their optional session due to weather. With heavy rain forecast overnight and into Friday, a washout would see Australia automatically qualify for the semi-finals.
“As players, we always want to compete,” Labuschagne said. “If the match is rained out, we advance, but we’d love to win and finish top of the group. We’ll be ready, even if it’s a shortened game.”
