On Wednesday, February 26, Afghanistan will play England in Match 8 of the Champions Trophy 2025 at the renovated Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Both clubs had little room for mistake after suffering crushing losses in their first games. Afghanistan’s bowlers struggled and let up 315/6 in a difficult defeat against South Africa. They were hustled out for 208 after a poor chase in which Rahmat Shah’s 90 was their only real attempt.
In contrast, England defeated Australia 351/8, mostly due to Ben Duckett’s outstanding 165. But their bowlers were ineffective, and Australia easily chased it down. During the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, the Afghan team astonished the Three Lions. England has a small advantage due to Lahore’s flat surface and possible dew effect. But another upset might be in the works if Afghanistan’s spinners fire.
Toss Update
Afghanistan won the toss and decided to bat first, replacing injured Brydon Carse with Jamie Overton.
Jamie Overton joins the team in place of Brydon Carse
Brydon Carse suffered a left toe injury ahead of the last game against Australia and later was forced to withdraw from the rest of the tournament. Leg spinner Rehan Ahmed has been called up to fill Carse’s spot.
What did the captains say at the toss?
Hashmatullah Shahidi (Afghanistan):
We will bat first. The wicket looks good. Hopefully, it will spin in the second innings. And it might be slower as well. Sometimes the dew is coming and sometimes it is not. It might get slower for sure. We were not bowling in the good areas in the last game. We are going with the same team.
Jos Buttler (England):
The dew came in last game and skidded on a bit under lights. We would have batted first as well. Looks a good wicket. Put in a good performance and get the victory. It came on to the bat nicely. We just got one change. Carse is out because of injury. Overton is in. Individual skills are very high. The expectations are very high. We always want to perform at our best. Would look to charge in today.
AFG vs ENG Playing XIs:
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi
India
