England will be up against Afghanistan in the eighth game of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The game is scheduled to be played on Wednesday (February 26) at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
England are in a precarious situation after suffering a crushing loss at the hands of Australia in their tournament opener. A record knock from Ben Duckett (165) propelled England to a big total of 351/8 in the allotted 50 overs.
However, the England bowlers could not complement the batsmen’s efforts as Australia recovered from 136/4 to chase down the total inside 48 overs. Josh Inglis starred with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 120 while Matt Short and Alex Carey scored fifties as well.
With England now eyeing a victory in the must-win clash, we are taking a look at the England Playing 11 for the upcoming game.
England Playing 11 vs Afghanistan- ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Match 8:
Openers: Philip Salt (wk), Ben Duckett
Phil Salt and Ben Duckett are expected to be the two openers in the England Playing 11. Salt failed to get going as he was out for just 10 runs and will look to score big in the forthcoming game.
On the other hand, Duckett went on to play a historic knock as he registered the highest individual score in the history of the Champions Trophy. The southpaw scored 165 runs off 143 balls with the help of 17 fours and 3 sixes.
Middle-order batters and allrounders: Tom Banton, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c), Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton
England could make two changes to their team combination. With Jamie Smith failing to impress with the bat against Australia, he could make way for Tom Banton in the England Playing 11 for the forthcoming contest.
Banton recently impressed in the ILT20 which helped him earn a recall from the England team after a gap of more than two years. Playing for MI Emirates, he finished the tournament as the second-highest run-scorer, scoring 493 in 11 outings including two centuries.
Joe Root scored 68 runs against Australia and will be eyeing another impactful outing against Afghanistan. Harry Brook’s weakness against spin was exposed once again as he was dismissed by Adam Zampa for just 3. He will have his task cut out against Afghanistan who have several quality spinners in their lineup.
Captain Jos Buttler got the start but could not convert it into a big score. He was out for 23 runs and will look to lead his team from the front in the upcoming game.
Liam Livingstone and Jamie Overton are expected to be the two allrounders in the England Playing 11. While Livingstone played the first game, Overton was on the bench. Overton is expected to replace Brydon Carse in the England Playing 11.
Bowlers: Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
Even though England lost the game against Australia, they are expected to retain the same bowling lineup. Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are expected to be the two pacers in the England Playing 11 while leg-spinner Adil Rashid will be leading the spin attack.
Both Archer and Wood started the game well as they dismissed Travis Head and Steve Smith respectively. However, they struggled towards the end as dew made it tough for the bowlers to operate. Rashid had a decent game as he conceded 47 runs in his 10 overs and picked up the wicket of a well-set Marnus Labuschagne.
