Spencer Johnson made a strong impact in his ODI debut, filling in for Mitchell Starc at the Champions Trophy against Afghanistan. After Afghanistan won the toss, Johnson’s initial overs were shaky—his first ball was down the leg side and yielded two leg byes, while his subsequent deliveries were either wides or close to being so.
However, Johnson soon found his rhythm. After an uneventful start, he bowled a stunning inswinging yorker that bowled Rahmanullah Gurbaz, leaving him without scoring. Commentators praised the delivery, with Ian Smith likening it to a typical Starc delivery, calling it “pinpoint” in precision. Gurbaz appeared stunned after being dismissed, lingering on the pitch in disbelief, prompting remarks from Matthew Hayden and Katey Martin about the quality of the delivery.
Despite this breakthrough, Johnson’s performance in his second over was inconsistent, which could be attributed to the challenging swinging conditions. His erratic bowling included several wides and byes, indicating that he still had work to do to establish himself fully in the match.