Make-or-break for Afghanistan and England in controversial clash

Whoever loses this mid-week clash in Lahore will likely be eliminated from the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final race, given that the tight nature of the eight-team tournament does not allow for two losses out of three. 

A controversial day-night match between England and Afghanistan – there have been loud calls for a boycott over women’s rights in Afghanistan – sees the two opponents needing a win at all costs to stay in the mix alongside Australia and South Africa, who meet elsewhere in the tournament today after winning their respective opening games. 

England piled up the highest total in Champions Trophy history over the weekend as Ben Duckett’s 165 buttressed a final effort of 351/8 in 50 overs, which was subsequently turned into the tournament’s highest successful chase once Australia won with 15 deliveries remaining.

Afghanistan also dropped their first game against South Africa, who won by 107 runs to set the pace early in Group B. 

Since they exited the group stage of the 2023 World Cup, England have lost four ODI series and the gloom continued in Lahore. There were positives, of course, in Duckett’s tournament record innings and his 158-run partnership with Joe Root who contributed 68. And when Jofra Archer and Mark Wood took out Travis Head and Steve Smith respectively early in Australia’s chase, signs were that England had turned a corner in ODIs. 

But as history unfolded under lights at the Gaddafi Stadium, the bowlers fell apart. Archer conceded 82 while leaving the field several times, Wood went for 75 in 9.3 overs and Brydon Carse was carted for 69 in seven overs as Josh Inglis finished the job with a spectacular century.

England have lost Carse to a toe injury and the selectors have replaced the pace bowler with a legspinner, Rehan Ahmed. Root, despite the latest setbacks, has backed Jos Buttler’s team to turn around their fortunes but in their way are a team that know how to turn the tables.

When these two teams previously met in ODI cricket at the 2023 World Cup, England were jolted by a shock 69-run defeat to Hashmatullah Shahidi’s team and that loss was the one that began to derail the defending champions’ campaign. That win was Afghanistan’s second in any World Cup, and they went on to add Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to come close to making the semi-finals. 

Undone by South Africa’s pace quarter in Karachi, Afghanistan cannot afford another bad day. Barring Rahmat Shah with 90, none of the others got to 20. Afghanistan will have to dig deep and call on those magical memories from 2023 to try and stop England, who look set to replace the injured Carse with Jamie Overton for this match. 

England have the edge in terms of batting and bowling, but if Afghanistan can regain lost momentum and confidence, and get their key players to relocate their mojo, this could be another close game. 

England playing 11: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jamie Smith (wk), 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Jos Buttler (capt), 7 Liam Livingstone, 8 Jamie Overton, 9 Jorfra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood

Afghanistan probable 11: 1 Ibrahim Zadran, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Sediqullah Atal, 4 Rahmat Shah, 5 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 6 Azmatullah Omarzai, 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Gulbadin Naib, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Noor Ahmad, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi