Afghanistan vs England, Match 8 Match Summary

The 2025 edition of the ICC Champions Trophy is up and running and we have already seen some surprises in the competition and with half of the group stage fixtures still remaining, we have already got our first two semifinalists in the form of India and New Zealand from Group A. However, Group B is a different story and in Match 8 of the competition, it will be Afghanistan taking on England in a do-or-die clash at the Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore. With both teams having lost their opening encounters, a loss here and it could be all over. Having said that, both teams might have lost their first games, but they did so in contrasting fashions and have different areas of the game to improve upon. Afghanistan were demolished by the South African bowling attack whereas, it was the batting from Australia that inflicted defeat upon England after having put on a monumental total on the board themselves. Also, when these two teams last met in an ICC ODI event, it was the ODI World Cup of 2023 in India which England would like to forget and on that occasion, it was Afghanistan that came out on top and in the recent series against India, England had their struggles against spin which will instill belief into the Afghans that they can do it again. However, England did bat pretty well in their first game with Ben Duckett scoring a blazing 165, taking his side to above the 350-run mark. Joe Root also showed why he still is England's best batter in sub-continental conditions with a fine knock of his own but the middle order couldn't quite deliver as Harry Brook continued his poor run of form. Their bowling though was a big let down and they had opportunities at different stages of the game to get on top of proceedings but failed to do so and only Adil Rashid was the one shining light. With Brysdon Carse now ruled out of the tournament and Rehan Ahmed in as his replacement, we might see them play and extra spinner. Afghanistan, on the other hand, conceded too many runs in their last game and their bowling attack wasn't as lethal as expected and they certainly need someone to aid Fazalhaq Farooqi with the new ball from the other end like Naveen ul Haq used to. Also, they generally win matches when that opening pair fires and they need at least one of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran to give them that start at the top which then the middle order can build on. That spin trio of Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad and Mohammad Nabi will be crucial as usual but they need the batters to do their job as well if they are to get the win. All in all, two wounded teams who will be disappointed with their previous performances but will have a chance to usher in a new dawn and bolster their hopes of making it through the group stages. Who do you think will come out on top?