Champions Trophy: Atal, Omarzai guide Afghanistan to competitive 273 all out against Australia
Lahore, Feb 28 (PTI): Sediqullah Atal hit 85 off 95 balls, while Azmatullah Omarzai (67 off 63) played a fine cameo in the middle-order to steer Afghanistan to a competitive 273 all out against Australia in a crucial Group B Champions Trophy match here on Friday.
Electing to bat, Afghanistan lost opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz early before last-match centurion Ibrahim Zadran (22) and Atal steadied the ship with a 69-run stand for the second wicket.
Omarzai then held the fort in the middle overs with a gutsy half-century to give Afghanistan bowlers a score to defend.
For Australia, Ben Dwarshuis (3/47) picked up three wickets, including two in the last over, while Spencer Johnson (2/49) and leg-spinner Adam Zampa (2/48) took two wickets apiece.
It's a must-win match for both the teams to qualify for the semifinal.
After their five-wicket win over England, Australia were forced to split points with South Africa as their last contest was washed out, while Afghanistan knocked England out of the tournament with a stunning eight-run victory in their last game.
South Africa are currently atop the table in Group B with three points from two games, followed by Australia on same points but with an inferior net run-rate. Afghanistan are still in semifinal contention at third place with two points from two matches.
England, who are out of semifinal reckoning, will play their last group match against South Africa in Karachi on Saturday.
Brief Scores:
Afghanistan: 273 all out in 50 overs (Sediqullah Atal 85, Azmatullah Omarzai 67; Ben Dwarshuis 3/47, Spencer Johnson 2/49, Adam Zampa 2/48).
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Trump says he ‘hasn’t even thought about’ continuing Iran ceasefire
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he has not yet considered whether he would continue the ceasefire involving Iran, while also claiming the United States holds the advantage in negotiations.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was prepared to make a deal with “whoever is running the show” in Iran.
“They are fighting with each other, there’s tremendous infighting. They’re probably fighting for leadership in many cases. I think they’re fighting not to be leader because we knocked out two levels of leaders,” he said.
Trump added, “When they want they can call me. We have all the cards, we’ve won everything.”
Referring to ongoing negotiations, he said, “They gave us a paper that should’ve been better. And, interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it [envoy trip to Pakistan], within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better.”
“We talked about they will not have a nuclear weapon, very simple … They offered a lot, but not enough,” he added.
When asked whether he would continue the ceasefire, Trump replied, “I haven’t even thought about it.”
The remarks come as uncertainty remains over the future of the temporary truce and broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
