Afghanistan will look to get back to winning ways when they take on England 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.
The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side began its campaign in the Champions Trophy on a dismal note. Playing their first-ever Champions Trophy game, Afghanistan suffered a crushing 107-run loss against South Africa.
South Africa thoroughly dominated Afghanistan in the game and remained in the driver’s seat throughout. Batting first, the Proteas scored 315/6 in the allotted 20 overs. Ryan Rickelton starred with the bat by scoring a century while the likes of Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, and Aiden Markram scored fifties.
In reply, Afghanistan were bowled out for just 208 runs. The defeat has now put Afghanistan on the verge of elimination and they need to win the game against England to stay in contention for a semifinal spot. So as Afghanistan gears up for the crucial game, we are taking a look at the Afghanistan Playing 11.
Afghanistan Playing 11 vs England- ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Match 8:
Openers: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran are set to be the openers in the Afghanistan Playing 11. The onus will be on them to give their team a good start with the bat in the crucial game against England. In the last game, Gurbaz scored 10 runs while Zadran was out for only 17.
Middle-order batters and allrounders: Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi
Barring Rahmat Shah, no other middle-order or lower-order Afghanistan batsman managed to deliver with the bat in the last game. Rahmat Shah waged a lone battle for his team, scoring a fine 90 off 92 balls. However, he received very little support from the other end.
Sediqullah Atal did get the start but was run out for 16 runs while captain Hashmatullah Shahidi departed for a duck. Shahidi will be desperate to lead his team from the front in the upcoming game.
Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, and Mohammad Nabi are expected to be the three all-rounders in the Afghanistan Playing 11. Omarzai scored 18 runs and picked up 1 wicket while Naib scored 13 runs and could not take any wicket.
Nabi was the pick of the Afghanistan bowlers, taking 2 wickets for 51 runs. However, he could score only 8 runs with the bat and will be keen to make amends in the forthcoming contest. Even though most of Afghanistan’s middle-order batsmen disappointed against South Africa, they are likely to retain their spots in the Afghanistan Playing 11.
Bowlers: Rashid Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad
Even though Afghanistan lost the game against South Africa, they are unlikely to tinker with the bowling lineup. The Afghan bowlers will be looking to bounce back and deliver a match-winning effort for their team in the must-win clash.
The Afghanistan Playing 11 is set to have two specialist spinners in Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad with Nabi being the other option. On the other hand, Fazalhaq Farooqi is expected to be the only frontline pacer in the team. Azmatullah Omarzai and Gulbadin Naib are the other fast-bowling options in the Afghan side.