Afghanistan opt to bat against England in must-win game
Group B's two winless sides clash in a mouth-watering must-win ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 showdown in Lahore today. Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and opted to bat first.
Shahidi said at the toss: "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. Hopefully, there won't be any dew and help our spinners. 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."
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. England captain Jos Buttler said: "The dew came in last game and skidded on a bit. It came on to the bat nicely. We just got one change. Carse is out. Overton is in. Individual skills are very high."
Teams
England: Philip Salt, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith(w), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler(c), Liam Livingstone, Jofra Archer, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
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
Highlights
*Afghanistan and England have faced each other only three times in ODIs, with England winning twice and Afghanistan securing a memorable 69-run victory in their last meeting in the format during the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.
*Making their debut in the Champions Trophy, Afghanistan face England in the competition for the first time.
*This will be the first time that both Afghanistan and England play at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
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