Afghanistan won the coin toss and chose to bat against Australia in a must-win Champions Trophy game. Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi aims to leverage momentum from their recent victory over England. Australia remains unchanged, looking to solidify their points after a successful chase against England.
In Lahore, Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the coin toss under overcast conditions and opted to bat in Afghanistan’s crucial final Group B match of the Champions Trophy against Australia on Friday. The Afghan team is seeking to build on their recent success after a remarkable eight-run victory over England, which secured their passage to this decisive game.
Having previously lost by 107 runs to South Africa, Afghanistan decided to maintain consistency by selecting the same playing XI for the third consecutive match, which includes a trio of spinners: Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, and renowned leg-spinner Rashid Khan.
Australia, having accumulated three points from their record-breaking 352-run chase against England and an additional point from a washed-out match against South Africa, retains an unchanged lineup for this encounter. New Zealand and India have already advanced to the semifinals from Group A, while hosts Pakistan and Bangladesh have been eliminated from contention.
The lineups for the match are as follows:
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Australia: Matthew Short, Travis Head, Steven Smith (captain), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson.
In summary, Afghanistan demonstrated strategic determination by electing to bat first after winning the toss in a crucial Champions Trophy match against Australia. With recent momentum from their victory over England, they aim for another win despite their previous loss to South Africa. Australia enters this match unchanged and remains a formidable opponent given their recent successes.
Original Source: www.arabnews.com
