The giant-killers Afghanistan will be aiming for another win when they take on Australia in match no-10 of the ongoing ICC Champions trophy 2025. The match will be played at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Friday, February 28. Both teams are in contention to qualify for the semis, and the winner of this game will surely book a spot in the last four. So the stakes are sky-high and it’s all to play for these two cricket teams.
Afghanistan are no longer a team that should be considered as an underdog, especially in white-ball cricket. They are punching above their weights, but are performing as they should be, for the talent is immense in this team. Right from the ODI World Cup, when they defeated England finished ahead of the likes of England, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, this Afghan team is doing wonders. They made it to the semis of the 2024 T20 World Cup and now are in strong position to qualify to the semis of CT 2025.
Ibrahim Zadran was at the forefront of Afghanistan’s win against England, a result that has kept them alive in the competition at the cost of English side. Zadran hit 177 runs off 146 ball while there were other contributors such as Hashmatullah Shahidi (40), Azmatullah Omarzai (41) and Mohammad Nabi (40) as Afghanistan posted 325/7 in 50 overs.
England’s Joe Root hit a century as well, scoring 120 runs off 11 balls and took his team close to the total. In fact, England should have won when they required just 25 runs off the last 18 balls. But the fate other ideas. England players played some bad shots at the crucial time and Afghanistan ended up winning the match by 8 runs.
For Australia, the task is simple – win this game and qualify to the semis. Even if the Aussies lose this game they might still sneak into the last four if England beat South Africa in the other match. But the six-time world champions will surely be aiming to avoid that and will have only one ambition going into this game and that is to win the match and keep their destiny in their own hands.
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Afghanistan vs Australia Match Details
- Teams: Afghanistan and Australia
- Date and Time: Friday, February 28, @ 02:30 PM (IST)
- Stadium: Gaddafi Cricket Stadium
Afghanistan vs Australia Pitch Report, Toss Impact
Pitch Report: The match between England and Afghanistan was also played at the Gaddafi Stadium. We saw that this is a good batting pitch and the scoring gets easier with time. Once a batsman settles in, he can play all kinds of shots.
Toss Impact: Ibrahim Zadran and Joe Root scored centuries for their respective teams in the last game. It was a sign that playing conditions tend to remain the same throughout the game. So toss shouldn’t have any impact on the match outcome.
ODI Stats at Gaddafi Cricket Stadium
| Total Matches | 76 |
| Won Batting First | 38 |
| Won Batting Second | 36 |
| No Result | 02 |
| Average 1st Innings Score | 255 |
| Highest Score | 375/3 |
| Lowest Score | 75/10 |
Afghanistan vs Australia: Lahore Weather
Weather Report: This match could be affected by rain as weather forecast indicate that there’s around 50% chance of precipitation in Lahore on Friday.
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Afghanistan vs Australia Team News
- Australia have no injury issues at the moment.
- Aussies should stick with the same combination they used in their opening match win against England.
- Fazalhaq Farooqi had some niggle issues at the end of England game, but the fast bowler should remain available for selection against Australia.
Players to watch out for in Afghanistan vs Australia CT 2025 match
- Ibrahim Zadran: Afghanistan star batter stole the show with his magnificent 177-run innings against England. He has all the shots in his batting repertoire and Australia should be wary of his threat.
- Josh Inglis: Australian wicket-keeper batsman scored an unbeaten 120 runs against England in the opening game. He is also someone who can play a big innings.
- Travis Head: Arguably the most dangerous batsman in the world at the moment. He can single-handedly win any match in any conditions.
- Glenn Maxwell: Glenn Maxwell ‘s biggest and the best innings came against Afghanistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup. He scored a jaw-dropping unbeaten 201 runs and denied Afghanistan a win over his team. Maxwell will be a key player in this game.
AFG vs AUS Expected Playing XIs
Afghanistan Probable Starting XI vs Australia:
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK)
- Ibrahim Zadran
- Sediqullah Atal
- Rahmat Shah
- Hashmatullah Shahidi (C)
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Mohammad Nabi
- Gulbadin Naib
- Rashid Khan
- Noor Ahmad
- Fazalhaq Farooqi
Australia Probable Starting XI vs Afghanistan:
- Matt Short
- Travis Head
- Steve Smith (C)
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Josh Inglis (WK)
- Alex Carey
- Glenn Maxwell
- Ben Dwarshuis
- Nathan Ellis
- Adam Zampa
- Spencer Johnson
Afghanistan vs England squads for ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Afghanistan Squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Ibrahim Zadran, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Nangeyalia Kharote, Naveed Zadran, Noor Ahmad
Australia squad for ICC Champions Trophy: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserve: Cooper Connolly.
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