An Australia versus Afghanistan match in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was abandoned due to rain. However, Australian opener Travis Head made history with his bat.
Sports News: The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match between Australia and Afghanistan was abandoned due to rain. Despite this, Australian opener Travis Head created a new record. Playing at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium, Head smashed a fifty off just 34 balls, breaking a 19-year-old Australian record.
Head Creates New History
In this match, Afghanistan batted first and scored 273 runs. Australia, chasing the target, had reached 109/1 in 12.5 overs when rain stopped play, and the match could not be resumed. However, in this curtailed game, Travis Head played a blistering innings of 59 runs off 34 balls, including 9 fours and 1 six.
With this innings, Head claimed the record for the fastest fifty by an Australian in the Champions Trophy. The previous record was held by Damien Martyn, who scored a fifty off 35 balls against England in Jaipur in 2006. Head beat this record by a single ball.
Head Falls Short of Afridi's Record
However, the record for the fastest fifty in the history of the ICC Champions Trophy still belongs to Shahid Afridi, who achieved the feat in 2002 against the Netherlands off just 18 balls. For India, the record is held by Yuvraj Singh, who scored a fifty off 28 balls against Pakistan in 2017. Despite the rain-affected abandonment, Australia secured 4 points and progressed to the semi-finals.
Fastest Fifty by an Australian in the Champions Trophy
* Travis Head - 34 balls
* Damien Martyn - 35 balls
* James Faulkner - 38 balls
* Andrew Symonds - 40 balls
* Mitchell Johnson - 40 balls
