Afghanistan v Australia: Prediction, Tips and Odds

After beating England in a Champions Trophy thriller on Wednesday, Afghanistan face a must-win Group B clash with world champions Australia in Lahore.

Afghanistan v Australia betting tips and predictions

A hundred to be scored in the match - 5/6

The progress of men's cricket in Afghanistan is illustrated by their recent results against mighty Australia in ICC tournaments.

The Afghans were hammered by 275 runs when they faced the Aussies at the 2015 World Cup and four years later, they suffered a comprehensive seven-wicket defeat in Bristol.

At the 2023 World Cup fixture in Mumbai, however, Afghanistan had Australia on the ropes at 91-7, chasing 292, before Glenn Maxwell played one of the greatest innings of all time.

Maxwell's unbeaten 201 steered his side to an extraordinary victory and they went on to beat tournament hosts India in the World Cup final.

The Afghans finally got their elusive win over the Aussies at last year's T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, bowling out their opponents for 127 to seal a 21-run victory.

A high-scoring contest is expected in Lahore, where the winners will book their place in the semi-finals.

Backing a century to be scored looks a solid bet given that Afghan opener Ibrahim Zadran made 177, the highest score in Champions Trophy history, in Wednesday's eight-run win over England at the same venue.

Joe Root's 120 was not enough for England, who had already lost a Lahore run-fest against Australia in their opening game.

In that match, Ben Duckett's 165 was eclipsed by Josh Inglis's unbeaten 120 off just 86 balls as Australia chased down 352 with 15 deliveries to spare.

Afghan opener Ibrahim starred in the 2023 World Cup classic against Australia, posting 129 not out before Maxwell's blitz, and Rahmat Shah made 90 in their opening Champions Trophy loss to South Africa.

Batsmen also enjoyed themselves when Lahore hosted two tri-series matches just before this tournament.

New Zealand's Glenn Phillips struck an unbeaten 106 in the first game against Pakistan and the second match featured scores of 150 from South Africa opener Matthew Breetzke, 133 not out from Kiwi maestro Kane Williamson and 97 from his teammate Devon Conway.

Josh Inglis to hit most sixes for Australia - 11/2

Australia wicketkeeper Josh Inglis dragged his side out of a tricky situation in the Lahore victory over England, hitting six sixes in his match-winning knock of 120 not out.

Inglis was dismissed for a first-ball duck in the 2023 World Cup win over Afghanistan, but he has had success in all three formats since then.

He marked his Test debut at the end of January with an innings of 102 off 94 balls against Sri Lanka in Galle and scored a couple of blistering T20I centuries against India in November 2023 and Scotland in September 2024.

Inglis struck 15 sixes in those two innings and he is a tempting bet to hit more maximums than his teammates on Friday.

He clouted six of Australia's nine sixes against England and market leader Maxwell is scheduled to bat down at number seven.    

Rahmanullah Gurbaz to hit over 0.5 sixes - 6/4

Inglis is not the only big-hitting wicketkeeper hoping to light up Lahore and Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz could punish a depleted Aussie bowling attack.

Rahmanullah was bowled by Jofra Archer for six on Wednesday after being dismissed for 10 in the first game against South Africa.

However, the opener played a decisive role in last year's T20 World Cup victory against Australia, hitting four sixes in a 49-ball 60, and he loves to take on the new ball in ODI cricket too.

Rahmanullah warmed up for this tournament with 110 off 107 balls against New Zealand in Karachi, where he cleared the ropes once.

He played some sensational ODI innings in Sharjah last year, scoring three centuries and two fifties in just eight appearances against Ireland, South Africa and Bangladesh.

Those eight knocks were studded with 21 sixes so Rahmanullah is well worth backing to send at least one delivery into the stands on Friday.

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Afghanistan v Australia odds

Afghanistan - 3/1
Australia - 1/4

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.