Australia will be facing Afghanistan in the tenth game of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The game is scheduled to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday (February 28).
The game is a virtual quarterfinal for both the teams. The winner of the Afghanistan vs Australia game will qualify for the semifinals. The loser of the game will likely be eliminated (pending the result of the England-South Africa match in Karachi on Saturday (March 1)).
Neither Australia nor Afghanistan will be keen to leave their fate in other teams’ hands will be looking to win the upcoming game to join India and New Zealand in the semifinals.
Australia and Afghanistan last played an ODI against each other in the 2023 World Cup. It was the same match in which Glenn Maxwell played arguably the greatest ODI knock of all time to power Australia to a miraculous win.
Chasing 292 runs, Australia were reeling at 91/7 and were on the verge of suffering their first-ever loss to Afghanistan. However, Maxwell defied all the odds and scored an unbeaten double century to take his team home in an unbelievable fashion.
Few months after that heartbreaking loss, Afghanistan defeated Australia in the T20 World Cup and will be fancying their chances once again. On the other hand, Australia are yet to lose an ODI against Afghanistan and will be keen to maintain the winning run.
Afghanistan vs Australia – Match preview and prediction, ICC Champions Trophy 2025:
Match Overview
Match: Afghanistan vs Australia
Date & Time: 28 February 2025, 2:30 PM (IST)
Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Tournament: ICC Champions Trophy
Afghanistan vs Australia – Pitch & Weather Report:
The weather forecast has predicted rain in Lahore throughout the day. Two games in the ongoing tournament have already been washed out and it won’t be surprising if the upcoming Afghanistan vs Australia game also suffers a similar fate.
The chances of rain will be between 50-70 percent throughout the day. As far as the temperature is concerned, it is expected to hover between 15-20 degree Celsius.
While overcast conditions could help the fast-bowlers, the pitch in Lahore is set to be a batsmen’s paradise. The venue has hosted two games in the ongoing Champions Trophy so far and both the games were high-scoring ones.
In the first game, Australia chased down 352 against England before the latter scored 317 while chasing 326 against Afghanistan. The upcoming game is also expected to be a run fest.
Afghanistan vs Australia – Head-to-Head Record
Afghanistan and Australia have played a total of four ODIs against each other so far. Australia have won all of those four games. The upcoming game will be the first-ever ODI between the two teams on the Pakistani soil.
Afghanistan – Probable Playing XIs:
Afghanistan Playing 11:
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Australia Playing 11:
Matthew Short, Travis Head, Steven Smith (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson
Key Players to Watch
Afghanistan:
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz
- Ibrahim Zadran
- Hashmatullah Shahidi
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Rashid Khan
Australia:
- Travis Head
- Steve Smith
- Josh Inglis
- Glenn Maxwell
- Adam Zampa
AFG vs AUS Best Batsman Prediction
Who will score the most runs for AFG in the match: Rahmanullah Gurbaz or Ibrahim Zadran
Who will score the most runs for AUS in the match: Travis Head or Josh Inglis
AFG vs AUS Best Bowler Prediction
Who will pick the most wickets for AFG in the match: Azmatullah Omarzai or Rashid Khan
Who will pick the most wickets for AUS in the match: Nathan Ellis or Adam Zampa
Conclusion- Match Prediction:
Australia will start the game as slight favourites and are expected to beat Afghanistan. Even though Afghanistan have done well in recent times and also beat Australia in the T20 World Cup last year, the reigning champions are more experienced and are expected to emerge victorious.