CT 2025: Afghanistan win toss; opt to bat first against England in do-or-die clash

Lahore [Pakistan], February 26 (ANI): Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and elected to bat first against England in the Group B clash of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday. Both teams are in a do-or-die situation, as the loser will be eliminated from the tournament.
Afghanistan lost their opening match to South Africa, while England failed to defend a big total against Australia. With the Australia-South Africa match ending in a washout, this encounter effectively becomes a knockout game. The match sets up an exciting battle between England's powerful batting lineup and Afghanistan's skilled spinners.
We will bat first. The wicket looks good. Hopefully, it will spin in the second innings. And it might be slower as well. Sometimes the dew is coming, and sometimes it is not. Hopefully, there won't be any dew and help our spinners. It might get slower for sure. We were not bowling in the good areas in the last game. We are going with the same team," Hashmatullah Shahidi said after winning the toss.
England's skipper said that they made one change in their line-up. The Three Lions brought in Jamie Overton in place of injured Brydon Carse.
"The dew came in last game and skidded on a bit under lights. We would have batted first as well. Looks a good wicket. Put in a good performance and get the victory. It came on to the bat nicely. We just got one change. Carse is out because of injury. Overton is in. Individual skills are very high. The expectations are very high. We always want to perform at our best. Would look to charge in today," Jos Buttler said.
Teams:
England (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith (wk), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c), Liam Livingstone, Jofra Archer, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi. (ANI)