The England vs Afghanistan clash at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is going to be a crucial match for both teams, especially after their opening game setbacks. It has become a high-stakes encounter.

Reflecting on England’s performance against Australia, I think England will have mixed feelings. There were several positives to take away, but also areas where they fell short. One of the standout aspects was their batting, particularly Ben Duckett at the top.

For a while now, England have needed substantial individual scores rather than just quick-fire cameos, and Duckett delivered exactly that with a superb innings. He built his knock brilliantly, showing composure and control, especially after the team lost a couple of early wickets.

He didn’t just throw his wicket away—he showed real determination, rebuilding the innings alongside Joe Root. Their partnership provided England with a solid platform, which was exactly what they needed. However, they couldn’t quite capitalise on it.

That will be a concern for England. They set the stage well but fell short of delivering the explosive finish they were aiming for, leaving them slightly under par.

On the bowling front, while there were positives, one issue remains—it’s still a bit too one-paced, something that could prove costly in crucial moments. England’s bowling attack looked slightly unbalanced, which was exposed at times. While their fifth bowling option did a decent job, relying too heavily on it comes with risks. If even one frontline bowler has an off day, there’s nowhere else to turn, making it difficult for Jos Buttler to manage his resources effectively.

Looking ahead to the game against Afghanistan, England faces another challenge with Brydon Carse reportedly injured and out. Rehan Ahmed has been named as his replacement and while he joins the squad on the morning of the match on Wednesday, he remains a good option to replace Carse in the XI. However, the most likely choice seems to be Jamie Overton as a like-for-like swap.

One possible adjustment England could make is altering the team’s balance by dropping a batter—either Jamie Smith or Harry Brook. This would allow Jos Buttler to move up the order, possibly to No. 3 or No. 5.

For me, Buttler is currently batting too low. When the top order performs well, he doesn’t get enough time to make a real impact on the innings. By pushing him up, England could maximize his influence with the bat.

This change would also create space for an extra specialist bowler, such as Saqib Mahmood, providing more depth in the attack. That would mean slightly less batting depth but still a solid lineup, with someone like Liam Livingstone slotting in at No. 6. This is certainly an option they could consider, perhaps more so for their next game against South Africa, depending on how things go here.

However, given that they’re facing Afghanistan, I expect England to stick with their current team balance. That means Jamie Overton will likely come in as a direct replacement. The reason for this approach is that England will feel their pace attack is well-suited to Afghanistan’s batting lineup—a belief I agree with.

Afghanistan’s real strength lies in their bowling, particularly their spin attack, which has troubled England in recent months. With that in mind, England will likely prioritize having an extra batter to counter the spin threat. So, while tweaking the balance remains an option for later games, I don’t see them making that change just yet—especially if they secure a win here before facing South Africa.

Now, coming back to Buttler—something I’ve said before, and I’ll say again—England need to be smarter about how they use him. They had a chance to do that in the last game against Australia. When the big partnership between Duckett and Root ended, that was the perfect moment for Buttler to come in.

I understand that Brook is a talented player, and even though he’s slightly out of form, he remains a potential game-changer. But for me, Buttler is on another level. He’s not only England’s best batter right now, but one of the greatest of all time. England needs to maximize his impact by getting him in at the right moments.

England can’t afford to keep Buttler out of the game for too long. In the last match, it didn’t have a huge impact since Brook came in and departed quickly, but moving forward, England needs to be more flexible with their batting order. Buttler is too crucial to be left waiting in the dugout while the innings unfolds without his influence. If they do decide to rebalance the side later, pushing him up to No. 3 could be a smart move. However, with Root locked in at No. 4—rightly so—Buttler’s best positions would be either No. 3 or No. 5.

As for Afghanistan, their biggest strength is undoubtedly their bowling. They will back themselves to challenge England, especially given their recent World Cup victory over them. England needs to be wary of the threat they pose. Afghanistan has already tasted the elation of beating England, and they’ll take confidence from that.  

This is shaping up to be a hugely significant game. Afghanistan is no longer just a team looking to cause an upset in ICC tournaments—they now expect to win. If they beat England, it wouldn’t be a shock; it would be a statement.

However, one major area they need to improve is their fielding. It remains a real concern and could be the difference between winning and losing. Better fielding would not only relieve pressure on their bowlers but also create game-changing moments.

Rashid Khan wasn’t at his best in the last game, and for Afghanistan to challenge England, he’ll need to deliver a much stronger performance. They might also consider tweaking their lineup—last time, they went with three spinners and three seamers, but given England’s struggles against spin, they could be tempted to add another spinner to exploit that matchup.

Afghanistan also has a heavy reliance on their top two batters, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran. They’ve been prolific run-scorers and have had a huge impact on the team’s success. Rahmat Shah will take confidence from his recent performance, but Afghanistan needs more from their middle order. Players like Azmatullah Omarzai and others have the ability to step up, and if they do, Afghanistan will be a much more balanced and formidable side.

Afghanistan will need to step up—there’s no doubt about it. They’ll be facing England’s extra pace, as well as the brilliance of Adil Rashid in the middle overs. Their best chance in this game lies in putting runs on the board.

They will back their bowlers to do the job, but fielding remains an area where they must improve. England, however, might have a slight edge in this contest. The match is being played in Lahore, where England has already played, while Afghanistan had their first game in Karachi. That means they’ve had to travel and readjust to different conditions, which could work in England’s favor.

I’m a big fan of Fazalhaq Farooqi. His left-arm pace with the new ball could be a real asset against England, especially against Phil Salt and Duckett. That angle can trouble England’s top order, making him a key player in this matchup.

Afghanistan should not be underestimated. This has all the makings of a closely contested game.

Coming back to England again, one crucial takeaway from their loss to Australia was the pivotal partnership between Josh Inglis and Alex Carey. That was where the game was won and lost. Despite England’s pace attack and the leg-spin brilliance of Adil Rashid, they simply couldn’t break that stand when it mattered most.

I often emphasize the importance of breaking stubborn partnerships in the middle overs, and England will feel they have the attack to do that. But against Australia, they simply couldn’t. Despite having 350 runs on the board, they failed to break the Inglis-Carey stand quickly enough. A dropped catch didn’t help, but overall, they just couldn’t find a way through.

England need to make better use of their pace. One key area for improvement is their length—they’ve been bowling too short, making their attack predictable. They must adjust by targeting the stumps more and varying their lengths to create more wicket-taking opportunities.

Against Afghanistan, England must be more strategic and intelligent with the ball, rather than simply banging it into the surface. If they get their pace right, they’ll back themselves to trouble Afghanistan’s batters—and rightly so.

However, success won’t come from sheer speed alone. They need to be smart with their lines, lengths, and variations in pace to keep Afghanistan’s batting lineup under pressure and avoid becoming predictable.