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Rashid Khan drops Travis Head Photograph: (X)
Afghanistan ace Rashid Khan left his teammates shocked when he dropped a regulation catch. The incident occurred in the key Group B match versus Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday. The catch that Rashid Khan dropped was that of Australia’s most dangerous batter, Travis Head.
The incident happened in the first ball of the fourth over with Fazalhaq Farooqi bowling to Head. Afghanistan’s pacer bowled a short ball around off-stump, which Head tried to pull. Australian batter didn’t time the ball well and went straight to Rashid Khan, who was standing at mid-on. The 26-year-old ran a few meters and tried to make the catch, but the chance went abegging.
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— Chalk (@FollowMe2911) February 28, 2025
It was a huge moment in the game, and Travis Head made sure to rub salt into the opposition's wounds. In the very next ball, Farooqi bowled a full ball on Head’s leg-stump line that the batter flicked for a huge six. Afghanistan players, especially Rashid Khan, could only look in disbelief as Australia made a brisk start in their chase of the 274-run target.
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Needing 274 to win, Australia scored four runs in the first over of the chase, with Matthew Short hitting Azmatullah Omarzai for a four. Fazalhaq Farooqi began by giving away 14 runs in his opening over as he bowled a few wide balls and was also hit for two boundaries.
In the third over, Azmatullah Omarzai was hit for 14 runs as Matthew Short hit two fours and a six. The first ball of the fifth over saw Afghanistan fielder drop the second catch in six balls this time to give Matthew Short a lease on life. The Australian batter was out two balls later when he mistimed a pull off Omarzai, and Gulbadin Naib didn’t make any mistake.
Afghanistan batted first and were bowled out for 273 in their 50 overs. The best batter for the Afghans was Sediqullah Atal, with his score of 85. Azmatullah Omarzai batted well towards the end to hit 63-ball 67 runs. If Afghanistan lose this match, they will be out of the Champions Trophy, and both Australia and South Africa will qualify for the semi-finals.