Jos Buttler’s side aim to overcome AFG’s spin attack

England is set to face Afghanistan in an important ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday. With South Africa and Australia already having gained two points each, a defeat in this match could significantly impact both teams’ chances of reaching the semi-finals.

England’s primary worry revolves around the erratic performances of opener Phil Salt and middle-order batsman Harry Brook. Salt has not scored a century since 2022 and has had difficulty turning his initial good starts into significant scores. Meanwhile, Brook, who performed well against Australia last year, has not been able to maintain that level of success in recent matches.

Afghanistan will depend on their strong spin trio of Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, and Mohammad Nabi to challenge England’s batting order. Considering England’s recent difficulties with spin bowling, their capacity to manage Afghanistan’s bowling attack may play a crucial role in the result of this essential match.

Squads for England vs Afghanistan ICC Champions Trophy match-

Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Malik, Naveed Zadran. Reserves: Darwish Rasooli, Bilal Sami.

England: Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Harry Brook, Rehan Ahmed, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood.