Australia beat Afghanistan by four runs but failed to achieve the net run-rate swing required to further boost their semi-final chances
England only need to beat Sri Lanka in their final Super 12 game in Sydney to qualify for the semi-finals after Afghanistan pushed Australia close in Adelaide, putting the hosts on the brink of a humiliating exit.Australia’s four-run victory over Afghanistan leaves their net run rate worse than England’s. Should England defeat Sri Lanka by any margin, they will join Australia and New Zealand – who earlier defeated Ireland – on seven points. But as Australia have the worse run rate of the three, the defending champions will be eliminated if England win. New Zealand have by far the best run rate in the group and are effectively assured of top spot.
If England win, they are set to play a semi-final in Adelaide on Thursday. They would be likely to play India, who need to beat Zimbabwe on Sunday to secure top spot in Group 2.
Playing at the Adelaide Oval, where he has excelled for Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League, Rashid Khan almost secured Afghanistan an extraordinary victory. Coming in at number eight, Rashid hit 48 not out from just 23 balls, including 16 from the last five balls of the game, against Marcus Stoinis, as Afghanistan fell just short of balls.
With captain Aaron Finch injured – missing out on potentially his last ever international match, with every chance he could follow his one-day international retirement by stepping aside in the T20 format – Australia made three changes for their last group game.