Australia vs Afghanistan Playing XI & Toss Update – Champions Trophy 2025
In a key Champions Trophy 2025 match, Afghanistan won the toss. They chose to bat first against Australia at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Both teams want a semi-final spot, so this match will have intense cricket action.
Australian captain Steve Smith preferred to bowl first. He mentioned the overcast conditions and the chance of dew later in the game. Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi thinks the pitch will slow down over time. This will help spinners in the second innings.
Australia Playing XI
- Matthew Short
- Travis Head
- Steve Smith (c)
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Josh Inglis (wk)
- Alex Carey
- Glenn Maxwell
- Ben Dwarshuis
- Nathan Ellis
- Adam Zampa
- 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
Captains’ Reactions :
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.”
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.”
Toss Update
- Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat first.
Pitch Report – Ian Bishop & Matthew Hayden
“A lot of rain yesterday but the outfield is good. The predicted rainfall today is around 25%. Talking about the dimensions, 73M to my left, 64M to my right and 75M straight down the ground. “