If there is one city, after Kabul and Kandahar, that is closely following the fortunes of the Afghanistan cricket team, it’s Sharjah. In the early 2000s, it became the home of countless Afghans who left a country ravaged by war.

The teams meet in a virtual knockout with a semifinal spot on the line and their cricket boards at loggerheads.

Afghanistan came agonizingly close to defeating Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in Mumbai, only to be denied by Glenn Maxwell’s historic double ton. They finally got their win against the Aussies in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Both the semifinal spots from Group B of the ICC Champions Trophy are still up for grabs for the likes of Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa

In the ICC Champions Trophy match between Pakistan and Bangladesh has been abandoned due to rain in Rawalpindi today. Both teams have been awarded one point each. The next match in the ICC Champions Trophy will be played in Lahore tomorrow between Afghanistan and Australia. Match will start at two in the afternoon.

England has been eliminated from the Champions Trophy after defeat by Afghanistan. English cricket has lost the art of winning ODIs.

Pakistan and Bangladesh are facing each other in group A fixture of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 which is nothing but a dead rubber.