Lahore, Feb 28: Sediqullah Atal overcame an early examination to hit 85, while Azmatullah Omarzai shined with 67 to help Afghanistan post a competitive 273 in their 50 overs against Australia in the Group B Champions Trophy clash at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday.

With the new ball nipping around, Atal had to wait for his chances before hitting six fours and three sixes in his 95-ball vigil at the crease. After a middle-order meltdown, Omarzai, the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year in 2024, smacked five sixes and a four in his superb 63-ball knock at the back end. For Australia, who conceded 37 extras, Ben Dwarshuis was the standout bowler with 3-47, while Adam Zampa and Spencer Johnson took two scalps each. Glenn Maxwell and Nathan Ellis had one wicket each as Australia now need to chase down 274 on a slow Lahore pitch.

Electing to bat first, Afghanistan didn’t have a great start as Rahmanullah Gurbaz was castled for a duck by a ripping inswinging yorker from Johnson in the first over. With Johnson and Dwarshuis getting the ball to hoop around, Atal was beaten on numerous occasions on the outside edge.

Despite playing and missing a lot of deliveries, Atal and Ibrahim Zadran managed to weather the early storm by collecting two boundaries each as Afghanistan ended the first power-play at 54/1. But Afghanistan lost Zadran in the 14th over as Zampa had him cut a short ball straight to backward point and fall for 22.

Five overs later, Rahmat Shah tried to drive off the back foot against Maxwell but got an outside edge and was caught behind by Josh Inglis for 12. Atal marched forward to bring up his third fifty-plus score in eight ODI innings in grand style by dispatching a six off Maxwell over mid-on off 64 balls.

Though Atal hit two fours and as many sixes later, it didn’t help that captain Hashmatullah Shahidi struggled to get going. In a bid to keep attacking, Atal went for a punch on the up but spooned one to Smith at short cover and fell for 85 in the 32nd over. Four overs later, Shahidi’s scratchy stay ended when he got a top edge on a sweep off Zampa and was caught by backward square-leg for 20. Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib falling within the three overs left Afghanistan at a precarious 199/7 at the end of the 40th over.

Though Omarzai hit two sixes and Rashid Khan smashed as many fours, Australia clawed back as Rashid holed out to long-on off Dwarshuis for 19. Omarzai, though, marched forward to bring up his fifty in 54 balls and launched three sixes off Ellis, including twice in the 49th over. He went to smash Dwarshuis for four before holing out in the deep off him. By then, Omarzai had done a fine job of taking Afghanistan past the 270-run mark.

Brief scores:

Afghanistan 273 all out in 50 overs (Sediqullah Atal 85, Azmatullah Omarzai 67; Ben Dwarshuis 3-47, Adam Zampa 2-48) against Australia

Dubai, Feb 28: New Zealand’s off-spin bowling all-rounder Michael Bracewell gave his take on India playing all of their Champions Trophy 2025 matches in Dubai, saying it was something that has already been decided and that there’s no point dwelling on it.

The decision for India to play all of its Champions Trophy matches at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, especially after being denied permission to play their matches in Pakistan, came under limelight this week, with former England skippers Nasser Hussain, Michael Atherton, and Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed claiming that India has got an upper hand from the start as compared to other teams.

“Look, it is what it is. It’s been already decided, and that’s the way that it is, and there’s no point dwelling on that. It’s part of what makes it exciting. I personally think it is that coming to a different ground and trying to figure out those different conditions. Not much more to say on that, other than we’re excited to try and learn and play in different conditions,” said Bracewell to reporters outside New Zealand’s training session at the ICC Academy on Friday.

New Zealand is all set to play against India in Dubai on Sunday, with both teams already qualifying for the semifinals. The match will also mark Virat Kohli’s 300th ODI appearance, making him the seventh player to achieve this landmark after Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, M.S. Dhoni, Mohammed Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh.

“That’s obviously a massive achievement. 300 games across a career is very impressive, and then to put that in just one format is amazing. It’s a testament to the way that he’s gone about his career.”

“I saw it first-hand at RCB – how he prepared for each match, and it’s very impressive. He’s one of a number of class players in the Indian line-up, and they’ve all played a lot of cricket now. So, they’re going to be a challenging team to come up against, but we’re really excited about that challenge,” added Bracewell.

Asked if New Zealand would take their match against India lightly, Bracewell stated, “No, it’s definitely an important game for us. Anytime you take on India at an ICC event, it’s always a big occasion. We’re excited about the game and obviously, if you can win the game, then it takes a lot of momentum through to that semifinal.”

“It’s always a challenge getting through to the semifinals, first of all. Once you get there, then it’s a one-off match and then another one-off match. So obviously, it’s great to be involved in that, but we’ve got a huge match against India first. If we can look at this like another playoff match, then we’re going to put ourselves in a good position to be able to win critical moments,” he said.

Quizzed on whether New Zealand would bring back Daryl Mitchell, who missed their game against Bangladesh due to illness, Bracewell said, “I’m sure if Daryl’s fit, he’ll be back playing. He’s obviously just had a little bit of illness in the last game, so he’s looking really healthy around the group. So it’ll be exciting to have him back in the group. He’s a massive part of our middle order and has done well for a number of years now.”

“I haven’t been privy to those conversations, but I’m sure we’ll be putting our best team out there and trying to get another win on the board. Mitch and Gary will come together and decide on the final 11, which they’ve done for the last couple of games. We haven’t seen the conditions yet here, so they’ll make a final decision on the team at the top,” said Bracewell.

With New Zealand having their first training session in Dubai, Bracewell said the side’s intention will be to try and get used to the wickets as quickly as they can.

“The wickets here have looked like they’ve taken a bit of a spin. We’ve obviously enjoyed the pitches in Pakistan, and I think we’ve got a pretty well-balanced side to play in any conditions. So hopefully we can continue to do that and adjust to what’s in front of us.”

“That’s been the strength of our side, which is adjusting to the surface and really throwing different looks at teams that are suited to that surface. So hopefully, we continue to do that as a side. I haven’t played any cricket here in Dubai before, so I’ll be trying to do that on the practice wickets and then take that out into the middle.”

“As a bowler, you try and find out what ball was the most challenging on that wicket and then try to bowl that ball as many times as you can. We’ve got a lot of experience in our spin bowling group, with Mitch Santner leading the way there. He’s a great person to talk to about what’s effective on a wicket,” he said.

“We work really closely as a spin bowling unit with GP (Glenn Phillips) there as well and Rach (Rachin Ravindra), of course, to find out what’s actually challenging on that surface and perhaps set fields accordingly as well,” Bracewell concluded.

New Delhi, Feb 28: Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan feels that in-form Shubman Gill has a great present and future for Men in Blue. The youngster has been in sublime touch in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy.

Gill started the eight-team spectacle with an unbeaten century against Bangladesh, while in the clash against arch-rivals Pakistan, he played a knock of 46 runs. With 147 runs in two matches, he is the top scorer for India ahead of Virat Kohli (122 runs).

“I simply love Shubman Gill’s batting, it’s very classy and there’s elegance in his batting. And there’s consistency; it feels good to see that there’s so much professionalism. There are young boys, they know how to play their role well and are making back-to-back runs. He’s got a great present and future for India,” Dhawan said on Star Sports.

“Rohit enjoys playing with youngsters and he must be sharing his many years of experience with them. I’m sure he must be patting them (on the back) and telling them how to play in given situations. These small communications are very important,” he added.

Despite being short on pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, Dhawan said his absence will be felt but added that it is a big opportunity for Harshit Rana to cement his place in the ODI side. Rana picked four wickets in the tournament so far.

“Jasprit Bumrah is a very big name, a very big bowler. He is such a consistent performer there. Of course, his presence was missed a lot. Whether anybody says anything or not, I feel 100 % that his presence is very important. It is a very good platform for Harshit Rana. He has passion and aggression, and I like the way he picks up wickets. Great opportunity for him, there’s Rohit’s guidance, and Virat as well. He should learn from them and hold on to this opportunity,” the former opener said.

After sealing the semi-final spot on the back of consecutive wins against Bangladesh and Pakistan in Group A, India will take on New Zealand in their final group fixture against New Zealand on March 2.