Champion Trophy: Overton Takes Carse's Place as Afghanistan Opts to Bat Against England
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Synopsis
Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bat first against England in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Group B match at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. Jamie Overton replaces Brydon Carse for England due to injury. The match is crucial as both teams seek their first win in the tournament.
Key Takeaways
- Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat.
- Jamie Overton replaces the injured Brydon Carse.
- This match is a must-win for both teams.
- Afghanistan maintains their previous lineup.
- Conditions may favor spinners in the second innings.
Lahore, Feb 26 (NationPress) Afghanistan won the toss and decided to bat first against England in the Group B match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at Gaddafi Stadium.
For England, all-rounder Jamie Overton has been introduced, taking the spot of fast bowler Brydon Carse, who has been sidelined due to injury. On the other hand, Afghanistan is maintaining the same lineup as their previous match.
Following the abandonment of Tuesday's match between Australia and South Africa due to rain, this encounter between England and Afghanistan has become a virtual knockout, with the losing team being the third to be eliminated. Neither team has recorded a win in the tournament yet, and a defeat for either would severely hinder their chances of reaching the semifinals.
Afghanistan's captain Hashmatullah Shahidi stated, "We will bat first. The wicket appears favorable. We hope it will spin in the second innings and might be slower as well. Sometimes the dew comes in, sometimes it doesn’t. We hope there won’t be any dew to assist our spinners. It’s likely to slow down. We didn’t bowl in the right areas in the last game, and we are going with the same team."
England's captain Jos Buttler commented, "The dew affected the last game, making it skidded a bit under lights. We would have opted to bat first as well. It looks like a good wicket. It comes onto the bat nicely. We made just one change: Carse is out, Overton is in. The individual skills are very high."
Playing XIs:
England: Philip Salt, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith (w), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c), Liam Livingstone, Jofra Archer, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (w), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooq
