Australia vs Afghanistan Champions Trophy 2025: Can Afghanistan be the giant slayer again to upset Australia?

ICC Champions Trophy: Group B of the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025 is heading for a thrilling conclusion as Afghanistan and Australia prepare to battle it out at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Friday. With both sides chasing a semi-final spot, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

These two teams have delivered some unforgettable encounters in recent ICC tournaments, setting the stage for another fiery showdown.

At the 2023 Men's Cricket World Cup, Australia snatched victory from Afghanistan thanks to an extraordinary innings from Glenn Maxwell. But Afghanistan hit back at the Men’s T20 World Cup last year, edging past the Aussies in another nail-biting contest.


Both teams have already claimed narrow wins over England, adding further intrigue—so who will come out on top this time?

Australia vs Afghanistan Recent Form

Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s campaign has been a mixed bag, but they will go into this clash brimming with confidence after a spirited victory over England on Wednesday. That win followed a heavy 107-run defeat to South Africa in their tournament opener. However, Afghanistan earned their place in the Champions Trophy in style, winning four consecutive bilateral series against Ireland, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe.

Australia
Australia opened their campaign with a dramatic win over England, but their highly anticipated clash against South Africa was washed out due to rain. The Aussies arrived at the tournament on the back of a disappointing 2-0 series defeat to Sri Lanka, raising concerns about their form. To make matters tougher, they are without their star pace trio—Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood—forcing them to dig deep in search of a deep tournament run.

Australia vs Afghanistan Players to Watch

Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran
All eyes will be on Ibrahim Zadran, who delivered a batting masterclass with 177 off 146 balls to steer Afghanistan past England. With Afghanistan’s batting lineup improving in recent years, Ibrahim remains their backbone. Given Australia’s inexperienced bowling attack, his battle against them could be decisive.

Australia: Spencer Johnson
With Afghanistan likely to bat first—based on both teams’ usual approach—Australia’s opening bowlers will be key. Left-arm quick Spencer Johnson will be eager to bounce back after a tough outing against England, where he returned 0/54 from seven overs. His duel with Ibrahim Zadran could be a game-changer.

Afghanistan vs Australia Squads

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

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.

(With ANI inputs)