The players and the umpires make their way to the middle. Time for the National Anthems -

We have made one change to our Expert XI. Refer to our Fantasy Handbook before locking in your fantasy teams.

Teams:

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

Steven Smith: We would have bowled first,

Afghanistan have won the toss and have opted to bat

Hasmatullah Shahidi: We will bat first because

Afghanistan have won the toss and have opted to bat

Pitch Report: A lot of rain yesterday but the outfield is good. A maximum of 19 degrees today so the conditons are very pleasant. The predicted rainfall is reducing by the minute with a 25 percent chance of rain and there's a nice wind blowing across the stadium. Talking about the dimensions, It's 72m to my left and 63m to my right and 75m down the ground. I'm seeing a very good surface, it's a run-scoring fest, 300 runs on four occasions have been scored here. It's how about captains go about restraining oppositions both in the first innings and the second innings. Omarzai used the back of a length area really well in the last game here and that area will offer help for the seamers, reckon Ian Bishop and Matthew Hayden.

From a selection point of view, it felt like Australia were largely disinterested to play in this Champions Trophy, with none of their regular pace bowlers in the mix and some high profile absentees in the batting department as well in the form of Mitch Marsh and Marcus Stoinis. However, Australia always seems to find new heroes, and they found two of them in Josh Inglis and Alex Carey who helped the team chase down a record target against England.

Afghanistan played out of their skin in the previous game, as opener Ibrahim Zadran registered the highest ever indivual score in the Champions Trophy. In the second innings, the bowlers held their nerve as Omarzai picked up a fifer to give the Afghans a celebrated win over England, dunking them out of the tournament in the process.

13:04 Local Time, 08:04 GMT, 13:34 IST: 7th November,2023 and then 23rd June, 2024. The Afghanistan versus Australia ‘rivalry’ can largely be summed up with these two dates. In November, an epic knock from Glenn Maxwell denied Afghanistan what looked like a famous World Cup win, but they did exact some revenge eight months later by defeating the Aussies in the T20 World Cup, eventually leading to them being knocked out.

Preview:

"If we play in the World Cup, why don't we play in bilateral series?"

Rashid Khan's words, spoken in the aftermath of Afghanistan's historic win over Australia at last year's T20 World Cup, could have easily belonged to an India-Pakistan press conference. That rivalry, shaped by partition, political standoffs and decades of tension, has long been confined to ICC tournaments. But none of that applies here. For, there's no fraught history between Australia and Afghanistan, no decades of conflict or diplomatic deadlock.

They are separated by more than 10,000 kilometers, not by contested borders. And yet, Cricket Australia have refused to play Afghanistan in bilateral series, citing concerns over the humanitarian crisis in the country, particularly the treatment of girls and women by the Taliban.

Afghanistan had Australia on the ropes before Glenn Maxwell's once-in-a-lifetime double hundred snatched victory from the brink of humiliation in Mumbai. Months later in Kingstown, at the T20 World Cup, Afghanistan finally had their moment, pulling off an upset that pointed to their growing stature in the global game. Now the two teams meet again in Lahore, this time with a Champions Trophy semifinal at stake.

The equation is simple: Australia qualify if they win or if rain washes out the game. Afghanistan go through if they win. In case of a washout, Afghanistan would go to 3 points and will need England to beat South Africa by a big margin to make it.

Afghanistan enter this contest riding a high, their confidence bolstered by a dramatic victory over England at this very ground. Ibrahim Zadran's record-breaking 177 and Azmatullah Omarzai's all-round brilliance kept their semifinal hopes alive, proving yet again that they are no longer content with being cricket's underdog story. The energy from that performance, the familiarity of conditions in Lahore and the 'infectious self belief' that their coach Jonathan Trott spoke about, make this a seminal moment. If there was ever a time to play Australia, it is now.

For Australia, the equation is different. They have looked every bit the dominant force, even without the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis. Their chase of 352 against England underscored their batting depth and ability to absorb pressure on the ICC stage, but that was a week ago. Their last match was washed out, leaving them removed from the rhythm of the tournament while battle-hardened Afghanistan have clocked overs on the field.

Will it be the fresh legs that prevail in Lahore or the momentum will have its say?

When: South Africa vs England, February 27, 2025, 2:30 PM IST/2:00 PM local

Where: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

What to expect: Lahore has hosted 10 ODIs since 2022, with chasing teams winning five of them. The average first-innings score in this period stands at 300. In this tournament, Australia made light work of England's 351 in a commanding chase, while Afghanistan successfully defended 325 in a tense finish. There is a forecast for light rain, but conditions are expected to improve in the second half, when the match is scheduled.

Teams

Afghanistan

They are expected to field an unchanged side following their memorable win over England.

Probable 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

Australia

The players will be well-rested after a week-long break. Australia are likely to retain their four frontline bowling combination, with Labuschagne, Matthew Short and Glenn Maxwell sharing the remaining overs.

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

Did you know

- Afghanistan have never beaten Australia in an ODI

- Captains have opted to bat first in 3 out of the last 5 ODIs at the Gaddafi Stadium

What they said

"You think we will come only to play with Maxwell? Do you think it will be like that? We have planning for all Australian team." -Hashmatullah Shahidi

Squads:

Australia Squad: 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

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