• Source:JND
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Australian Men's Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team:

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and opted to bat first against Australia with the semifinal spot at stake in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Friday.

Afghanistan's campaign took a dramatic turn after a lacklustre beginning. Their first game was a heavy 107-run loss to South Africa. From there, Afghanistan bounced back in dramatic fashion with a surprise victory against England that put the Three Lions out of the semi-final race.

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Australia's campaign took off to a flying start with Aussies chasing the highest-ever score at an ICC event to defeat England in a tight match; however, their next game was an anti-climax against South Africa, as rain stopped play, resulting in a shared points decision. Thus, Australia and South Africa have three points, and both are now at the top of Group B.

The tussle between Afghanistan and Australia can be encased within two dates: November 7, 2023, and June 23, 2024. On the first occasion, Glenn Maxwell's scintillating innings denied Afghanistan their maiden World Cup win. Eight months later, Afghanistan got their vengeance with a win against Australia in the T20 World Cup which eventually led to Aussies' elimination.

Speaking at the time of toss, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said, "We will bat first because the wickets looks good, it's a used pitch, England and Australia already played on this pitch so it will slow down in the second half. We were happy with the performance in our last game, we also have made plans against Australia. We are going with the same team."

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Australia skipper Steve Smith said, "We would have bowled first, uncertain overhead conditions and there's the dew factor as well. All the guys are doing good, should be a good contest, looking forward to it. Coming here with good intent and aggression and ready to get started. Same team for us."

Australia vs Afghanistan Playing XIs

Australia (Playing XI): Matthew Short, Travis Head, Steven Smith(c), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey(w), Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson.

Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi.