Afghanistan vs Australia, Champions Trophy 2025: Live streaming, Lahore weather forecast, pitch report and squads

Afghanistan vs Australia, Champions Trophy 2025: Live streaming, Lahore weather forecast, pitch report, squads (ICC Photo)

Afghanistan vs Australia, Champions Trophy 2025: The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 encounter between Afghanistan and Australia in Lahore on Friday may appear less appealing on paper. But given the recent history and considering what's at stake, the clash will be closely followed by fans. The tie can also be called a virtual quarterfinal although a defeat will keep Australia alive in the tournament.

Australia kicked-off the tournament by smashing England by five wickets, which saw the Kangaroos complete the highest successful run chase in all ICC tournaments. Their second match against South Africa was a washout as both sides shared a point each.

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Afghanistan, on the other hand, started on a shaky note and conceded a heavy 107-run loss against the Proteas. However, the team made quick amends and produced a solid show against England, which eliminated the 2019 World Cup winners out of the tournament.

The outcome also gave Afghanistan a major boost in the race for semifinals as they now stand a win away from ceasing a berth in the final four. In case if rain, the chances of which are high on Friday, forces another washout Afghanistan will settle with three points, which will make their life difficult owing to the poor net run-rate, currently in negative.

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AFG vs AUS, Champions Trophy: Lahore weather forecast

If we look at the weather forecast in Lahore on Friday, rainfall is predicted. As per Accuweather, the temperature will hover around 19 degrees Celsius, with 71 percent chances of precipitation. There is 63 percent cloud cover so overcast conditions can be expected and it is estimated to rain for almost two hours. However, the good news is that rains are likely to come in the first half and recede as the day progresses. In fact, there is almost no rain in the second half of the day.

But with plenty of rain expected in the lead-up to the match, drainage could be an issue, which may lead to a rain curtailed contest.

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AFG vs AUS, Champions Trophy: Pitch report

The match will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium, which has already hosted two matches in this tournament. Both encounters proved to be a run-fest with 1349 runs being scored in four innings. So given the nature we can expect it to be batting friendly, but the cloud cover should assist the seamers in particular. If we compare the quicks of both sides, Australia are missing the services their famed pace trio (Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins) and inexperience reflects quite clearly in the line-up. Afghanistan, too, don't have a world class seam attack, which will make things easier for the batters.

AFG vs AUS, Champions Trophy: Live streaming details

What time does the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match between Afghanistan and Australia start?

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match between Afghanistan and Australia will start at 2:30 pm IST. The toss for the same will take place at 2:00 pm IST.

Which TV channels will broadcast the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match between Afghanistan and Australia?

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match between Afghanistan and Australia will broadcast on the Star Sports and Network 18 channels.

Where can I catch the live streaming of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match between Afghanistan and Australia?

The live streaming of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match between Afghanistan and Australia will be available on the JioStar app.

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Afghanistan and Australia, ICC Champions Trophy 2025 complete squads

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

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