Champions Trophy: Afghanistan & England face must-win clash today

KATHMANDU: Afghanistan and England will lock horns in a do-or-die encounter in the ICC Champions Trophy today at Gaddafi International Cricket Stadium, Lahore.

The match will begin at 2:45 PM Nepali time.

Both teams suffered defeats in their opening matches—Afghanistan lost heavily to South Africa, while England was beaten by Australia.

With a semifinal spot at stake, neither team can afford another loss, as the losing side will be eliminated from the tournament.

This fixture became a virtual knockout after the Australia-South Africa match was washed out on Tuesday.

Afghanistan qualified for the Champions Trophy after an impressive run in ODIs, defeating Ireland, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile, England has been struggling in the 50-over format, recently suffering a 3-0 series defeat against India. They have lost five consecutive ODIs, their worst streak since 2009 when they lost six in a row against Australia.

Squads:

Afghanistan:
Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Malik, Naveed Zadran.

England:
Jos Buttler (C), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Harry Brook, Rehan Ahmed, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood.