Australia vs England, Champions Trophy: Decoding the key player battles
What's the story
England and Australia take on each other in match number 4 of the Champions Trophy 2025 on Saturday.
The match will be played in Lahore, in what promises to be a key Group B clash.
Both teams are looking to redeem themselves after a disappointing ODI run.
With crunch players in the mix, here we decode the key player battles ahead of the contest.
#1
Adil Rashid vs Steve Smith
England spinner Adil Rashid has been in top form in ODIs and he will reslish bowling against Steve Smith.
As per ESPNcricinfo, across 16 innings, Aussie batter Smith has been dismissed 7 times by right-arm leg-spinner Rashid.
Smith has faced 202 balls, scoring 156 runs at 22.28. Rashid has bowled an impressive 92 dot balls in this duel.
#2
Adam Zampa vs Joe Root
Australian spinner Adam Zampa will be keen to unsettle England's talisman Joe Root, who is an excellent player of spin.
Across 4 innings, Root averages a sensational 57 against Zampa.
The right-handed batter has scored 57 runs from 56 balls, being dismissed once. Interestingly, 35 of these runs have come from singles.
Overall, Zampa has dismissed right-handed batters 134 times in ODIs.
#3
Mark Wood vs Marnus Labuschagne
England's fast bowler Mark Wood will want to bowl at full tilt.
Wood can unsettled Aussie batter Marnus Labuschagne, who has struggled of late.
In three matches, Wood has dismissed Labuschagne once in ODIs. The batter averages 27, having scored 27 runs from 34 balls. 18 of them have been dot balls.
Overall, Labuschagne has scored 738 runs against right-arm pacers (16 dismissals).