Afghanistan vs Australia, 10th Match, Group B at Lahore, Champions Trophy, Feb 28 2025 - Match Result

9:36pm That's it from us here today. Thanks for your company.

Before I depart, here's a breakdown of what will need to happen in Karachi tomorrow for Afghanistan to make it through to the knockouts:

- If England bat first, victory by a margin of 207 runs for any target, as long as it is a full 50-over match

- South Africa are likely to be through if they bat first. Their NRR won't go below Afghanistan's unless they get bowled out cheaply and England chase very quickly. For example, something like 50 all out and England chase in 5.4 overs [75 in 7.6 overs, 100 in 9.6 overs and 125 in 11.5 overs]

9:30pm Australia captain Steve Smith on qualifying for the knockouts: "It's a good result, and, that's what we were after at the start of the tournament, to a finish in the top two and heading to the semis. It's satisfying so far.

He also confirms that there is uncertainty around Matt Short's fitness ahead of next week's semi-finals. He suffered a quad injury during the match today which will be assessed tomorrow: "I think he was struggling, wasn't moving well. I think he'll be struggling with the short gap between games."

Meanwhile, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi is remaining optimistic: "You never know. We still have hopes and uh next game we are waiting for that in uh hopefully that uh England win big!"

ou never know. We still have hopes and uh next game we are waiting for that in uh hopefully that uh England win big.

8:56pm Match abandoned! A shame for the fans in Lahore, but the rain claims another fixture in this Champions Trophy. A point each means Australia are through to the semi-finals! They move to four points while Afghanistan, now on three, need to wait until tomorrow to see if they have snuck through.

They'll need one hell of a result to make the semis given their Net Run Rate of -0.99. South Africa need to lose to England by at least 207 runs (chasing 301) if Afghanistan are to move up to second place. A win for South Africa will see them top Group B, with Australia bumped to second.

8:40pm An update from Andrew Fidel Fernando, five minutes before the inspection: "The pools have mostly been depleted, but there are some very sodden areas of the surface. The bowling run ups at the College End are of particular concern (groundstaff had been late to cover that area, because the rains worsened dramatically). They are using foam to draw up water from the top surface in that strip of the ground while the super sopper works the outfield."

8:07pm Pitch inspection at 8:45pm! For those wondering, yes, we have started to lose overs - by Fidel's calculations (careful) since 7:43pm. The cut-off time is 10:11pm.

Binga58: "Where are those industrial fans now? We need them... all of them!!"

7:54pm More from Fidel, The Rain Don himself: "Drying operation has begun. Only one super sopper out there, though. It will take a long while..."

7:45pm I come bearing better news. Fidel reports the drizzle has stopped and the ground staff are out there removing the covers.

7.40pm Well, this is all a shame. The weather hasn't been kind to this competition. I'll hand over to Vish to keep things updated.

7.30pm There's a significant amount of water that has pooled on the outfield. The cut-off time is 10.11pm, but clearly there's a significant clean-up job to be done. In Fidel's expert opinion, "it'll take two hours at a minimum to get going, even when it stops drizzling."

It's also been confirmed that Matt Short's injury is a quad problem.

7.20pm Here's a reminder of the scenario if this is washed out: If points are shared in that game, Australia will go up to four points and will be assured of qualification. If South Africa beat England, they will top the group with five points, but if England win, then South Africa and Afghanistan will finish on three points each, which will bring NRR into the equation. Afghanistan (NRR -0.99) will almost certainly be eliminated then, as they need South Africa to lose by at least 207 runs (chasing 301) to move up to second place and qualify.

Ajinkya: "Do we have a reserve day for Semi Final and Final?" Yep, those three games have reserve days. It's also a minimum 25 overs for a match in those.

7.10pm More from Fidel: The rain is also seriously emptying the stands (there is no overhead cover for most of the fans). They're all piling out at record speed, maybe to seek shelter underneath the stands. Had built up to about 75% capacity, almost all Afghan fans. It's now a proper downpour. They haven't managed to cover the bowler's run ups in one end."

Australia's 20-over target would be 123, for 30 overs it would be 191

Yousuf Khan: "Stuck in traffic at liberty roundabout right infront of Gadaffi and its raining cats and dogs in here. This match is done."

MD: "I am just few Kms away from the stadium and I can assure you it's a passing shower and will stop very soon because quite a stiff breeze also blowing with the rain"

7.00pm Rain has stopped play. It's got too heavy, the umpires take the players off. A reminder, that a no result is enough to send Australia through. Need 20 overs in the second innings to make it a match. Believe we have an hour to play with in terms of extra time.

It is now hammering down. Fidel: "Definitely worsened. It's not going to be a quick turnaround even if rain stops suddenly. Enough rain has fallen on the outfield."

Groundstaff getting ready

Bharat: "Where is Rashid khan ? What are they saving him for ??"

BREAKING NEWS: Jos Buttler has stood down as England captain

Noor Ahmad in to the attack. Slip in place

Australia have broken the back of this in the powerplay