England face Afghanistan in must-win Champions Trophy tie: Preview
What's the story
England and Afghanistan will face off in the eighth match of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
The Group B match will be played on Wednesday, February 26, at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium.
Both sides are desperate to register their first win in the tournament after losing their respective openers.
A second defeat could very well put their hopes of progressing beyond the group stage in jeopardy.
Here is the preview.
Match conditions
Weather, pitch report, and streaming details
The Gaddafi Stadium's pitch is expected to be a batsman's paradise, just like the last high-scoring game between Australia and England.
The weather is expected to remain clear with temperatures in the 20s during the match.
Both teams are under pressure to register their first win in this tournament, making this a must-win encounter for both sides.
The match be live televised on Star Sports Network while Jiostar will provide the live streaming (2:30pm IST).
Player duels
Key battles to watch out for
The match promises to be a cracker of a contest with some exciting player duels.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz's performance against Jofra Archer could prove to be the match-defining one.
Another key battle will be between Ben Duckett, who scored a record-breaking 165 runs in his last match, and Fazalhaq Farooqi, who will be looking to get Duckett out early.
The face-off between England's captain Jos Buttler and Afghanistan's spinner Rashid Khan could also be a game-changer.
H2H
Here's the head-to-head record
The two sides have met just thrice in ODIs before. All these meetings came in the last three editions of the World Cup.
While the Brits clinched the 2015 game by nine wickets, they walked away with a comprehensive 150-run triumph in the 2019 event.
However, the tables turned around in the 2023 event as the Afghan side stunned the Brits with a 69-run victory.
ENG vs AFG
Can England overcome their bowling struggles?
England failed to defend 352 against Australia in their opener.
Moreover, their bowling attack has taken a hit with the injured Brydon Carse being ruled out.
They might bring spinner Rehan Ahmed to assist Adil Rashid in the middle overs.
Meanwhile, South Africa demolished Afghanistan in the first Group B match.
Chasing 316 in Karachi, Afghanistan were folded for just 208.
XIs
Here are the predicted XIs
England's predicted XI: Philip Salt, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith (wk), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c), Liam Livingstone, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
Afghanistan's predicted XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad.
Key players
A look at the key players
Azmatullah Omarzai averaged 50-plus with the bat and under-21 with the ball in ODIs in 2024. He hence won the ODI Player of the Year award.
During the game against South Africa, Rahmat Shah played a valiant 90-run knock albeit in a losing cause.
Ben Duckett went after the bowlers against Australia, scoring a 143-ball 165.
Meanwhile, Adil Rashid owns 54 ODI wickets in Asia at 28.35.