AUS vs ENG Match Preview- ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Match 4

Ashes rivals Australia and England will be opening their respective ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign by taking on each other. The game is scheduled to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday (February 22).

Australia and England are in Group B for the tournament. The other teams in the group are South Africa and Afghanistan. With each team to play only three group games, neither Australia nor England can afford an early slip-up.

One defeat will be more than enough to end their hopes of qualifying for the semifinals. So, as England and Australia gear up for the crucial match, we are taking a look at the AUS vs ENG match preview.

AUS vs ENG Match Preview- ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Match 4:

AUS vs ENG, Date and Venue:

The upcoming AUS vs ENG match will be played on Saturday (February 22) at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The match will be played from 02:30 PM (IST).

Squads:

Australia:

Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa. Traveling reserve: Cooper Connolly

England:

Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood

AUS vs ENG key battles:

Travis Head vs Jofra Archer:

Travis Head's wicket will be very crucial for England if they are eyeing a win over the world champions. Head has been one of the best if not the best openers in the world in the last couple of years or so. With Australia missing several key players, the onus will be on him to lead the team's charge with the bat and give a good start.

To stop Head, England will be depending on their pace spearhead Jofra Archer. The right-arm pacer can trouble Head with his pace and will be keen to take his wicket to give his team a solid start.

Steve Smith vs Adil Rashid:

Steve Smith will be one of Australia's main batsmen in the tournament. The onus will be on him to ensure that Australia finishes with a good score. Smith has ample experience of playing in the subcontinent and Australia will be relying on him.

England would be looking to get rid of Smith as early as possible and they will be relying on their spin leader Adil Rashid for the Australia captain's wicket.

Jos Buttler vs Adam Zampa:

Jos Buttler could spoil the party for Australia. The England captain could not lead his side to a series win in India but managed to get some decent scores under his belt. He will be looking to score big in the upcoming game.

With Buttler set to bat in the middle overs, Australia will be hoping that their spin spearhead Adam Zampa gets his wicket as early as possible.

AUS vs ENG Key Players

AUS - Travis Head, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, Adam Zampa, and Nathan Ellis will be the key players for Australia.

ENG - Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, and Adil Rashid will be the key players for England.

AUS vs ENG Weather And Pitch Report:

The AUS vs ENG match is unlikely to face any major interruption as there is no prediction for rain. The temperature is set to be in the early 20s in the first half of the game and will be hovering between 15-20 degrees Celsius once the sun goes down.

The pitch at the Gaddafi Stadium is likely to assist the batsmen more. Bowlers might struggle to make an impact on the pitch that is expected to be flat.

Conclusion:

Australia and England are not in great form in ODIs in recent times and the upcoming game allows them to turn things around.

Both the teams struggled in their previous ODI assignments and will be fancying their chances in the upcoming game. With not much room for slipups in the tournament, both sides will be looking to start their campaign with a win.