Australia will face England in 2025 Champions Trophy. Photo: AP
Arch-rivals Australia and England will square off in a much-awaited 2025 Champions Trophy match in Lahore on Saturday (February 22). The match will start at 2:30 PM IST. Both teams are dealing with several issues coming into the game. England are out of form and were recently crushed by India.
The Men in Blue won the five-match T20I series against 4-1. They whitewashed England in the three-match ODI series. England's below-par form gives an advantage to Australia.
Australia's biggest worry is the absence of key pacers. Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins were ruled out of the ICC event due to respective injuries while Mitchell Starc pulled out of the tournament. Steve Smith will lead Australia in Cummins' absence.
Pitch report
Lahore hosted a game during the tri-series between Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa. NZ put on a total of 330 while Pakistan scored 252 in response. The track is expected to remain the same and it should be a high-scoring game in Lahore.
Weather report
The weather will remain clear during the fixture and there is no chance of rain. The players will enjoy playing cricket under hazy sunshine.
Playing XIs
England: Jos Buttler (Captain), Philip Salt, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
Australia's likely playing XI: Steve Smith (Captain), Matthew Short, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey, Aaron Hardie, Glenn Maxwell, Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Adam Zampa, Nathan Ellis
Squads
Australia: Steve Smith (Captain), Matthew Short, Travis Head, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Glenn Maxwell, Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha, Nathan Ellis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey
England: Jos Buttler (Captain), Philip Salt, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Jamie Overton, Saqib Mahmood, Tom Banton, Gus Atkinson
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