Afghanistan will be taking on England in the 8th match of the Champions Trophy 2025 on Wednesday. Afghanistan made a poor start, going down easily to South Africa by a huge margin of 107 runs. On the other hand, England’s not-so-great effort with the ball cost them the game in their opener against arch-rivals Australia.
Match Details:
Afghanistan vs South Africa, Match 8, Group B
Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Date & Time: February 26th at 2:30 PM IST and 2:00 PM Local Time
Live Telecast & Streaming: Star Sports Network & JioHotstar
What is the Pitch Report for AFG vs ENG, ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Match 8?
It feels like a complete road where batters can thrash the bowlers all day long. Bowling under the lights will be a nightmare to be honest as no score is safe to defend. It produced a mega run-scoring contest in the previous game here between Australia and England where a total of 707 runs were scored.
What is the Head-to-Head Record in Afghanistan vs England ODI Matches?
Total Matches Played: 3
Afghanistan Won: 1
England Won: 2
Recent form:
Afghanistan: Lost, Won, Won, NR, Won
England: Lost, Lost, Lost, Lost, Lost
AFG vs ENG, ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Match 8 Probable Winners:
Afghanistan are expected to win this match.
What is the Expected, Probable Playing XIs for AFG vs ENG, ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Match 8?
Afghanistan
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
England
Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith (wk), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c), Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton / Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
Gutted to be losing you, Brydon 👊
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 24, 2025
Injury Updates:
Brydon Carse has been ruled out of the tournament with a left-toe injury.
What are the Fantasy Cricket Top Picks, Players for AFG vs ENG, ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Match 8?
Top Pick – Batter
Ben Duckett played with a lot of authority and took control of the proceedings right from the word go against Australia. He hammered 165 runs from 143 balls which included 17 fours and 3 sixes.
Top Pick – All-Rounder
Mohammad Nabi is a highly skilled all-rounder, who plays with his experience. He bagged 2 wickets and managed to score 8 runs against South Africa.
Top Pick – Bowler
Top Pick – Wicketkeeper
Jos Buttler couldn’t capitalize on the start he got against Australia as he was dismissed for a mistimed slog for 23. He is still a good buy for your fantasy teams.
Getting into the Groove! ⚡#AfghanAtalan attended the nets this afternoon as they continue to gear up for their #ChampionsTrophy clash against England tomorrow. 👍
📸: ICC/Getty#AFGvENG | #GloriousNationVictoriousTeam pic.twitter.com/9jcQzewWYb
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) February 25, 2025
X-Factor:
When other Afghan batters struggled against Proteas bowlers, Rahmat Shah stood firm and played some quality shots during his stay of 90 runs which included 9 fours and a six.
What are the Fantasy Suggested Teams for AFG vs ENG, ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Match 8?
1. Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Rahmat Shah (vc), Hashmatullah Shahidi, Ben Duckett (c), Mohammad Nabi, Joe Root, Azmatullah Omarzai, Adil Rashid, Rashid Khan, Jofra Archer.
2. Phil Salt, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Jamie Smith (vc), Rahmat Shah, Ben Duckett, Sediqullah Atal, Liam Livingstone, Azmatullah Omarzai (c), Adil Rashid, Rashid Khan, Jofra Archer.
The skipper, @Hashmat_50, addressed the pre-match press conference ahead of Afghanistan’s second game in the #ChampionsTrophy 2025 against England, scheduled for tomorrow in Lahore. 👍
📸: ICC/Getty#AfghanAtalan | #AFGvENG | #GloriousNationVictoriousTeam pic.twitter.com/Y6RAoLKSZI
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) February 25, 2025
Pre-Match Analysis:
Morale in the Afghanistan camp isn’t so high after losing their maiden Champions Trophy game against South Africa by 107 runs. Their highest margin of loss in terms of runs in the last 12 months. Barring Rahmat Shah, there was no fightback at all by the remaining batters, who failed to score more than 20 runs. Shah ran out of partners before becoming the 3rd victim of Kagiso Rabada for a well-made 90. The diversified bowling unit featuring renowned names such as Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, and Fazalhaq Farooqi couldn’t able to control the run-flow of the Proteas and ended by conceding 315 for 6 in 50 overs.
The upcoming game against England will be a do-or-die one for the Afghans to stay in the knockout race. They need to take inspiration from their triumph at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 where they defeated England by 69 runs.
England had no answers against Australia’s dynamic batting where they failed to defend a mammoth 351 in their Champions Trophy 2025 opener on Saturday. Except for veteran spinner Adil Rashid (1 for 47 in 10 overs), the rest of the five bowlers went more than 6 runs an over where the frontline pace bowlers Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, and Brydon Carse went for plenty.
With the bat, they take a lot of positives as Ben Duckett produced the best ODI knock of his career, scoring 165 from 143 balls as the Three Lions raced away to 351 for 8 in 50 overs. Experienced batter Joe Root, was their 2nd best performer with 68 runs.
They dealt with another injury blow as seam bowling all-rounder Brydon Carse has been ruled out of the tournament with a left-toe injury. Leg spinner Rehan Ahmed has been named his replacement, he will join the side later this week. Jamie Overton or Gus Atkinson will walk in against Afghanistan.
