Champions Trophy - Australia's Marnus Labuschagne has 'no issues' playing against Afghanistan

Champions Trophy – Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne has ‘no issues’ playing against Afghanistan

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Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne has “no issues” playing against Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy on Friday, which is crucial for both teams’ semi-final aspirations. While Australia boycotts bilateral matches with Afghanistan due to the Taliban’s restrictions on women, they continue to compete in ICC tournaments. Labuschagne emphasized focusing on the game despite Cricket Australia’s past stances. Heavy rain in Lahore may affect their training, and a rain-out would guarantee Australia’s progression to the semi-finals. Labuschagne aims to win and finish top in their group, while acknowledging the unpredictability of weather conditions.

Australia’s batter Marnus Labuschagne has expressed that he has “no issues” with facing Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy on Friday. The matchup marks the final group games for both teams in Lahore, with significant implications; a win for either team secures their spot in the semi-finals.

However, the conversation often revolves around Australia’s decision to refrain from any bilateral cricket engagements with Afghanistan in response to the Taliban’s ban on women and girls playing cricket and their broader social exclusion. Since the Taliban takeover in 2021, Australia has continued competing against Afghanistan in ICC events, including the 2022 T20 World Cup, the 2023 ODI World Cup, and the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup.

“It’s an ICC tournament,” Labuschagne noted. “And according to the schedule, we are set to play against Afghanistan. Personally, I have no issues with playing tomorrow. However, there have been stances taken by Cricket Australia in the past. Our focus right now is on tomorrow’s match against Afghanistan.”

Australia isn’t the only team with varying approaches to bilateral versus ICC events involving Afghanistan. On Wednesday, England proceeded to play their match against Afghanistan, disregarding the calls from numerous UK politicians to boycott the game. Afghanistan’s English coach, Jonathan Trott, mentioned to the BBC earlier this week that the men’s team is aware that the conditions in Afghanistan are “not right,” and several Afghan players over the past year have publicly protested against the growing restrictions on Afghan women in society. In a tightly contested match, Afghanistan emerged victorious by eight runs, knocking England out of the tournament.

This leaves Afghanistan close to securing a spot in the semi-finals of their second consecutive ICC event in what is expected to feel like a home crowd in Lahore. Australia has ample experience dealing with such situations.

“We’d love to win tomorrow and quiet the crowd,” Labuschagne said. “However, our primary focus is on adhering to our process and fully engaging in the game. We must be prepared for anything that comes our way, regardless of the situation, and deliver our best performance.”

Yet, they may not even get that opportunity. Australia’s training on Thursday was moved indoors due to rain in Lahore, while Afghanistan opted to cancel an optional training session. Further heavy rain is predicted overnight and during the early part of Friday. Eight years after rain-affected matches led to Australia’s elimination in the group stages of the 2017 Champions Trophy, a rained-out game now would guarantee their progression to the semi-finals.

“As players, you always want to play,” Labuschagne remarked. “If the entire match is rained out, that means we progress to the semi-finals—which is great. Nevertheless, we would prefer to secure a victory tomorrow and finish at the top of our pool. That’s our goal, to win all our matches leading up to the semi-finals. However, these circumstances are beyond our control, so we have to ensure we’re ready for tomorrow in case it turns into a shortened match.”

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