ICC Champions Trophy: England, Afghanistan gear up for virtual knockout

The Australia vs South Africa clash ending in a washout has placed the England vs Afghanistan match in the prime spot in Group B. After India and New Zealand emerged as the semi-finalists at the ICC Champions Trophy from Group A, the focus shifted to Group B. With two consecutive days of action scheduled in Rawalpindi, Australia and South Africa were keen to claim the "almost qualified" spot. However, Rawalpindi staged a discourse as incessant drizzle swept the game away. Now, with South Africa and Australia having three points each on the table, the England vs Afghanistan game has turned into a virtual knockout.

ICC Champions Trophy: How the Australia vs South Africa washout affected Group B qualification scenarios

South Africa imposed their dominance early in Group B as they secured a momentous 107-run victory against Afghanistan in their campaign opener. The victory set them apart as their net run rate surged. Meanwhile, Australia, seemingly half-cooked without their ace pace trio, relied on their batting prowess to push England aside. Despite a 165-run knock by Ben Duckett that propelled England to a 351-run total against a weakened Australian bowling attack, the English bowlers failed to defend the seemingly insurmountable total. Australia, fueled by a century from Josh Inglis and a 69-run knock by Alex Carey, recorded the highest successful run chase in an ICC tournament, collecting two points in their campaign opener at the ICC Champions Trophy.

England and Afghanistan were left on the back foot after opening their respective campaigns with defeats. The third clash in the group, meanwhile, would have propelled the winner of the Australia vs South Africa match to a virtual semi-final qualification. However, with the match being abandoned without any action, the doors to the ICC Champions Trophy semi-finals remain open for all four teams in the group.

Currently, South Africa, with three points and the highest NRR, sits atop the Group B standings, with Australia following closely with as many points. England and Afghanistan, meanwhile, are yet to open their accounts, having lost their campaign openers in Pakistan. Now, South Africa is poised as the favorite to qualify for the next stage, fueled by their superior net run rate. A win against England in their last group-stage match would officially land them in the league of India and New Zealand. However, even if they lose, they can still fancy a qualification chance, provided England loses its match against Afghanistan.

England and Afghanistan, meanwhile, have their entire ICC Champions Trophy campaigns relying on this fixture. Either of the teams that win this clash will remain in the race for qualification alongside the Proteas and Australia. If Afghanistan loses, then their last remaining clash against Australia will be a stage for Australia to cement their semi-final spot but a dead rubber for the Afghans. Similarly, if England loses this one, South Africa will edge ahead, making their last league-stage match against England nothing more than a stepping stone to the semi-finals.

England vs Afghanistan poised as the virtual knockout in Group B

While Afghanistan lost their opener, their ability to stun the biggies is not a secret. Despite the setback against South Africa, Afghanistan remains in fair contention for a comeback. The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side scripted an upset against England at the 2023 ODI World Cup where they beat the Three Lions by 69 runs. Capable to repeat the same, the side would rely on Rahmanullah Gurbaz to repeat his heroics from the marquee event where he scored 80 runs against England. Moreover, needless to say, Rashid Khan, who scalped three wickets against England at the World Cup remain a key figure for Afghanistan in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy fixture.

During the ODI World Cup, Afghanistan had bounced back from consecutive defeats to Bangladesh and India before toppling England. Shahidi is hopeful of scripting a similar turnaround but acknowledges that overcoming the Three Lions will be a tough challenge.

“I think we all know that England is one of the best teams, so it’s a tough challenge for us. But we are ready for any challenge, and we worked hard to reach this level. We will take confidence from what happened in the 2023 World Cup, but at the same time, tomorrow is a new day, and we will try our best to beat them again,” Shahidi said in the pre-match press conference.

England, meanwhile, have notched a disappointing streak in the ODIs over the recent past. Their ICC Champions Trophy campaign in Pakistan started at the back off a disheartening 0-3 whitewash against India in the sub-continent. Against Australia, the batting order held tight, thanks to the heroics of Ben Duckett. However, the bowling attack with Jofra Archer and Mark Wood fumbled royally as they failed to defend the 351-run total. Despite the consecutive defeats, Jos Buttlers remains focused to look at the positives, which are very few for the team currently.

"We haven't been doing that enough in the recent past," Buttler accepted. "As soon as you catch yourself thinking about any negative things, you just try and completely forget that and focus on all of the positive things that could go right and where you can take the team. I'm very much focused on that," he added.