AUS Vs AFG: Afghanistan have won the toss and choose to bat first against Australia in Match 10 of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
In what is a do-or-die fixture for both sides, the surface at Lahore presents a batting paradise, and it will be upto them to make their chances count.
Rain threat looms over the fixture, as overcast condotions will prevail for a while. If the fixture gets abandoned, Australia will advance to the semis, as they hold a one-point advantage over Afghanistan.
Playing XI’s
Australia Playing XI: Matthew Short, Travis Head, Steve Smith (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Spencer Johnson.
Afghanistan Playing XI: Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Here’s What The Captains Said During Toss
Hashmatullah Shahidi (Afghanistan Captain):
“We want to bat first. It looks a good pitch but it is a used one. Australia and England played on this surface. Hopefully, it will get slower and the spin will work for us later in the day. We were happy with our performance. We also discussed the planning against Australia. Hopefully, we will implement those on the field today. We are going with the same team.”
Steve Smith (Australia Captain):
“Yeah, we would’ve bowled first. With a bit of rainfall around and dew as well, we are not too unhappy bowling first. All the guys are good. We are looking forward to face a good looking Afghanistan side. They played really well against England and we are expecting a good contest today. Yeah that’s right. Must win for us. We must come here with good intent and very good aggression. We can’t wait to get things started. We are going with the same team.”
