The eighth match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will take place between Afghanistan and England at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on February 26. Both teams are entering this match on the back o??f defeats, making this contest crucial in determining the Group B standings. A win is required for both sides to remain alive in the competition

Afghanistan and England’s disappointing start in the Champions Trophy 2025

Afghanistan, who are making a debut in the tournament, faced South Africa in their opening match. The contest was completely dominated by the Proteas as they handed Afghanistan a massive defeat by 107 runs. Despite having experienced campaigners like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib, the Afghans failed to leave a lasting impression and were crushed by the South Africans. Though, Rahmat Shah kept them ali?ve in the h??unt with his brilliant innings but lack of support from other batters did the most damage to Afghanistan.

England, on the other hand, did most things right and gave their best to live up to the expectations of a high-voltage contest but ended up losing the match against the Australians. The Jos Buttler-led side we??nt on to post the massive total of 351/8 and with Australia having arguably the weakest team in thei??r history, England must have anticipated an easy win. But Australia still managed to get past the winning line.

Afghanistan’s predicted XI for the clash against England

It’s unlikely that Afghanistan will change their batting as it looks solid despite not clicking enough in the first match. Rahmanullah Gurbaz is expected to be opening with Ibrahim Zadran and expectations will be high from the duo. Similarly, Sediqullah Atal shall be filling the number three spot. Following will be the entry of their star batter Rahmat. He smashed 90 in the first match and will again be expected to shine for the Afghan team. Captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi, and all-rounders like Azmatullah Omarzai, Naib, Nabi and Rashid shall be handling the middle and lower-middle order and also the bowling department. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Noor Ahmad will be expected to sh??ine with the ball, which has been the biggest strength of Afganistan.

Also READ: Champions Trophy 2025: Rashid Latif terms an Afghanistan star as greater? cricketer than Wasim Akram

England’s predicted XI for the clash against Afghanistan

Ben Duckett had a brilliant start to the tournament as he smashed a sensational century against the Aussies. Though he still ended up for the losing side, but fans will again be expecting high from Duckett, who is set to open the innings with another explosive batter Phil Salt. In the first game, Jamie Smith came to bat at number three, it would be interesting to see whether England will follow the same approach or Joe Root, who came at number 4, will walk down to bat after the first dismissal in the clash against the Afghans. Harry Brook, Buttler, and Liam Livingstone will be handling the middle-order. The trio failed to impress in their first game and will be focusing to bounce back. Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Adil Rashid will be the stars in the bowling attack. They will however be missing Brydon Carse, who has been ruled out of the tournament. In his place, England might go for Saqib Mahmood.

Also SEE: In Pics: Meet the wives and girlfriends of England cricketers | Champion??s Trophy 2025

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After a humiliating series white-wash in the Test series, Sri Lanka will be up against Australia in the limited overs format for a 2-match ODI series. The encounter between the nations can be seen as a major event for Australian players to gear up ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025 fixtures, which are scheduled to be held later this month. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are not part of the covete?d ICC tournament this time around.

Even though Sri Lanka have the home advantage in their favor, the team would look forward to playing some scintillating cricket and coming back to winning ways. In addition to the Test series loss against Australia, the Lankans were also outperformed by New Zealand by a 2-1 ODI series defeat on the Blackcaps’ home turf.

Major miss for Sri Lanka ahead of ODI clash against Australia

The Sri Lankan team management has recently announced a 16-member squad for the ODI series against Australia. In a shocking turn of events, the decision-makers had opted to keep all-rounder Chamindu Wickramasinghe out of the squad. The Sri Lankan all-rounder had proven to be a handy batter and a pace option for t?he home side in the past. However, the decision is seen as a tactical shift to make the team more adaptable to the home conditions where pitches have turned out to be more spin-friendly.

The Sri Lankan team management also supposedly wanted to add an extra spin option to the team given their lack of variety and the subsequent struggles the team had to suffer against quality Australian batters at Galle during the Test series. In light of the recent developments around the Sri Lankan team for the ODI series against Australia, here is Sri Lanka’s best-playing XI for the upco??ming white-ball challenge.

Sri Lanka’s best playing XI for the ODI series against Australia

1. Avishka Fernando

• Role: Opening batter
• Strength: Can provide a solid start to the team and score runs during power-play overs.
• Impact: Fernando has the ability to score some quick runs early on in the game and provide the team with the base to either set high targets for Australia or early momentum during a run-chase.

2. Pathum Nissanka

• Role: Opening batter
• Strength: Can prove dynamic with the bat
• Impact: Nissanka can develop a steady innings and hold the wicket on the other end to allow other batters a more free hand.

3. Kamindu Mendis

• Role: Top-order batter
• Strength: Can bat with technique and temperament required against quality bowling unit.
• Impact: Kamindu can turn out to be the pivot of the Sri Lankan batting order. He can hold on to the innings and rotate strikes and go for the big shots as well.

4. Charith Asalanka

• Role: Batting all-rounder
• Strength: Can bat up the order to score big runs and be handy with the ball, particularly during the middle overs
• Impact: The leader of the Sri Lankan side, Asalanka, can play a dynamic role in the team scoring crucial runs on the board and a reliable bowling option during the middle overs of the game.

Also Read: Warne-Muralitharan Trophy: Netizens celebrate as Australia thrash Sri Lanka in the second? Test to complete serie?s whitewash

5. Kuasal Mendis 

• Role: Wicket-keeper batter
• Strength: Provides depth to the batting line-up and scores some crucial runs on the board.
• Impact: Ability to develop crucial partnerships with lower-order batters and tailenders.

6. Wanindu Hasaranga

• Role: Batting all-rounder
• Strength: Wanidu Hasaranga can be a crucial support to both the top-order and the lower-order of the team and can develop important partnerships with them to put runs on the board for the team.
• Impact: He can be a viable spin option for the team apart from his batting prowess.

7. Janith Liyange

• Role: Batting all-rounder
• Strength: Ability to hit the ball and attack the opposition’s bowling unit to score some quick runs
• Impact: A safe, and disciplined bowling option with a remarkable economy rate in the ODI format adds value to the team apart from his ability to bat.

8. Asitha Fernando

• Role: Pacer
• Strength: Provides early breakthroughs to the team and can utilize early support from the pitch to swing the ball and trouble the rival team’s batters.
• Impact: Can prove detrimental to the batters with his pace and ability to swing the ball.

9. Eshan Malinga

• Role: Pacer
• Strength: Ability to bowl quickly and trouble the batters with lateral seam
• Impact: Eshan can restrict batters, particularly during the death overs, and force them to commit mistakes which leads to breakthroughs for the Sri Lankan side

10. Lahiru Kumara

• Role: Pacer
• Strength: Provides crucial support to spinners during the middle overs and ability to restrict batters with his remarkable line and length.
• Impact: Lahiru can adapt to the situation and bowl alongside more traditional bowlers or with part-timers on the early end. His line and length can trouble batters on any given day.

11. Dunith Wellalage

• Role: Spinner
• Strength: Can prove instrumental with his spin against Australian batters and provide crucial breakthroughs to his team.
• Impact: His wicket-taking ability can prove detrimental to the Australian batting line-up and can get some quick breakthroughs for Sri Lanka.

Also Read: Ravi S?hastri, Ricky Ponting predict the leading run??-scorer and highest wicket-taker in Champions Trophy 2025

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Australia and Scotland will face off in a three-match T20I series begi??nning on Wednesday, September 4. All matches will be held at Grange Cricket Club in Edinburgh.

This series marks the return to international cricket for both Australia and Scotland following their participation in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Australia exited the tournament after a loss to India, while Scotland’s last league match was against Australia.

SCO vs AUS: Head to Head Record in T20Is

Matches played: 1 | Scotland won: 0 | Austral??ia won: 1

T20I Stats and Records at Grange Cricket Club

• Matches played: 26
• Matches won batting first: 16
• Matches won bowling first: 10
• Average 1st innings scores: 166
• Average 2nd innings scores: 132
• Highest total recorded: 254/5 (20 Ov) by New Zealand vs Scotland
• Lowest total recorded: 82/10 (14.4 Ov) by Scotland vs Pakistan
• Highest score chased: 180/4 (19.1 Ov) by Zimbabwe vs Scotland
• Lowest score defended: 126/8 (20 Ov) by Scotland Women vs Ireland Women

SCO vs AUS: Grange Cricket Club Pitch Report

The pitch at Grange Cricket Club is expected to provide a fair ?contest between batters an??d bowlers. Initially, seamers may find conditions conducive to swing the ball. However, as the match progresses, the pitch is likely to become more batsman-friendly, allowing batsmen to play their shots with greater ease.

Also READ: SCO vs AUS 2024, 1st T20I – Match Prediction, Dream11 Team, Fantasy Tips and Pitch Report | Scotland vs Australia

SCO vs AUS: Edinburgh Weather Forecast

Expect sunshine mixed with some clouds and a comfortable temperature around 14°C. It might feel? slightly warmer at 17°C due to the sun.

The good news is there’s minimal risk of heavy rain interrupting the game. There’s only a 15% chance of any precipitation, and thunderstorms are completely out of the picture.

However, it’s worth noting a 26% cloud cover, which could affect sunlight throughout the day. Additionally, a light north-westerly wind is expected, blowing at 7 kmph with gusts up to 22 kmph. These winds might influence player strategies, particularly bowlers.

SCO vs AUS 2024: Predicted XI of both teams for the first T20I

Scotland: George Munsey, Michael Jones, Ri?chie Berrington (c), Brandon McMullen, Michael Leask, Matthew Cross (wk), Jack Jarvis, Christopher Sole, Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal

Australia: Travis Head, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mitchell Marsh (c), Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Josh Inglis (wk), Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Spencer Johnson, Adam Zampa

Also READ: SCO vs AUS 2024, T20I Series – Broadcast, live streaming details | When and Where to watch in India, UK, Australia & Pakistan

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