AFG vs AUS Match Prediction: Who will win the Champions Trophy 2025 Match 10?
AFG vs AUS Match Details
Afghanistan will take on Australia in Match 10 of Champions Trophy at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on February 28 at 2:30 PM IST in a Group B clash.
We are nearing the business end of the Champions Trophy and the stakes are getting higher with each match. Group B is very delicately poised at the moment and with England already eliminated, there are three teams remaining for the two semi-final spots up for grabs.
With South Africa virtually through sitting on top of the Group B with a large positive net run-rate, it is up to both these teams to make the run now. In other words, Afghanistan vs Australia is a virtual shootout in many ways.
Afghanistan lost their opening encounter against South Africa, in fact they were hammered. But they came back and knocked England out of the competition in Lahore itself and showed to the world that they are not here just to participate. They are on the high of that victory and now have a chance to even go one step further and book their places in the semis.
But in their way is a team who just knows all about getting it right in an ICC tournament. Australia have been a beast in ICC events and once again they are doing what they do the best, shining in a global event. They chased down 352 against England in Lahore a few days ago and their second game against South Africa was washed out.
| Match Info. | |
|---|---|
| Series | Champions Trophy 2025 |
| Match | Afghanistan vs Australia |
| Venue | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
| Date & Time | Feb 28, 2025, at 2:30 PM IST (2 PM Local Time) |
| Live Streaming | JioHotstar (App & Website) |
| Live Broadcast | Star Sports & Sports18 Network |
AFG vs AUS Head-to-Head Record:
Afghanistan vs Australia has been a one-sided rivalry in ODIs. The teams have played just 4 ODIs against each other and Australia have managed to come out trumps on all four occasions. While the first three were dominating victories, the latest chapter in this rivalry was something that both these teams and cricket fans would never forget.
Chasing 292 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in the 2023 ODI World Cup, Australia were down and out at 91/7 and had no business even making a run for the target. But a superhuman innings from Glenn Maxwell, literally on one leg assisted by the ever so reliable Pat Cummins saw Australia snatch victory from deep within the jaws of defeat as Maxwell played one of the all-time great ODI innings.
| Number of Matches Played | 4 |
| Won by Afghanistan | 0 |
| Won by Australia | 4 |
| No Result (NR) | 0 |
| Most recent fixtures | November 7, 2023 (won by Australia) |
| First ever fixture | August 25, 2012 (won by Australia) |
| Last 4 matches | Afghanistan 0 – 4 Australia |
This is Afghanistan’s first Champions Trophy and this will be the first time that both these teams will play against each other in a Champions Trophy.
AFG vs AUS Pitch Report & Weather Conditions
High-scoring venue
The pitch at the Gaddafi Stadium traditionally favors the batters with some even pace and bounce on offer, making shot-making easy. Seamers do not tend to get a whole lot of lateral movement in the air while there might be some swing with the new ball for a while. For the spinners, it is generally better to bowl on during the daytime as compared to in the night under the lights.
There have been two matches played in the Champions Trophy this time at the Gaddafi Stadium and in both of them runs have been aplenty. While Australia smashed England’s 351, registering the highest-ever chase in the history of the tournament in the first match here, Afghanistan scored 325 against England a couple of days back and England just fell short by 8 runs in their reply. In the four innings across the two matches, more than 1300 runs have been scored.
If we go a further couple of weeks back, in the recently concluded tri-series, two matches were played at the Gaddafi Stadium and the average score was 298 across four innings with the 300-run mark being crossed in 3 out of 4 innings.
Dew Factor
Dew has already played a significant role in Lahore with the second innings under lights being much easier to bat on. When Australia chased down 352, Inglis admittedly said that dew made their job easier as there was plenty of it in the second half. While there was not a lot of dew a couple of days ago when Afghanistan beat England, dew can still be expected to play a major role.
Average 1st Innings Score
The average first innings score in the 76 ODI matches played so far at the National Stadium in Karachi is 256. However, that figure goes up significantly to 338 in the couple of matches played at the venue in the tournament so far.
| Average 1st Innings score (overall) | 256 |
| Average 1st Inning score (in CT 2025) | 338 |
Chasing Record
The record is pretty even when it comes to batting first or batting second at the Gaddafi Stadium. Out of the 76 ODIs played at the venue, 38 have been won by the side batting first while 36 have been won by the chasing team with 2 matches yielding no result.
| Total number of matches | 76 |
| Matches won by teams batting first | 38 |
| Matches won by chasing teams | 36 |
| Chasing Record | 47% |
| Pitch Behavior | Flat and hard |
| Best Suited To | Batters |
| Average 1st innings score | 256 |
Weather Report
This Champions Trophy has been marred by the weather already, with the rain having the final say at Rawalpindi in a couple of games. If the weather forecast is to be believed, interruptions are likely in this game as well as Lahore will see the heavens open up on match day. A couple of heavy showers are anticipated in the morning with a total of 4.6 mm rain predicted.
However, the brighter side is the rain is expected to ease off as the evening sets in. So, there is a high likelihood of a shortened game. In case there is a washout, it will ensure Australia would book their places in the semis and Afghanistan would in all likelihood be knocked out.
Here is an hour-by-hour breakdown of the forecast in Lahore.
Note: Timings in PST
| Time | Condition | Temp (°C) | Rain % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14:00 | Light showers, overcast | 15 | 64% |
| 15:00 | Light showers, overcast | 16 | 64% |
| 16:00 | Light showers, overcast | 16 | 66% |
| 17:00 | Light showers, overcast | 16 | 63% |
| 18:00 | A few showers, overcast | 15 | 51% |
| 19:00 | Drizzle, overcast | 14 | 28% |
| 20:00 | Overcast | 14 | 4% |
| 21:00 | Cloudy | 14 | 3% |
| 22:00 | Mostly cloudy | 14 | 3% |
| 23:00 | Partly cloudy | 14 | 2% |
Also Read: AFG vs AUS Toss Prediction: Who will win the toss in Match 10 of ICC Champions Trophy 2025?
AFG vs AUS Match Prediction: Probable Playing 11s (Predicted)
Afghanistan Probable Playing 11
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad
Australia Playing 11
Travis Head, Matthew Short, Steve Smith (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis (wk), Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Sean Abott, Adam Zampa
Both these teams are expected to go in with an unchanged 11. Any changes would purely be tactical or last-minute injury calls.
Form and Fitness:
Afghanistan Recent Form (most recent first): W L W W NR
Australia Recent Form (most recent first): A W L L L
| Team | Matches Won (out of last 5) | Matches Lost (out of last 5) | No Result/Abandoned |
| Afghanistan | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Australia | 1 | 3 | 1 |
AFG vs AUS recent form (Last 5 matches)
Afghanistan: Head coach Johnathan Trott said after the win against his own country England that no one will take Afghanistan lightly now. Well, is someone is doing they might be digging their own graveyard. Afghanistan’s rise has been meteoric and now they are closing off matches as well, the latest one being against England a couple of days back at the same venue. They will be back again just 48 hours later trying to script history, something that this team is making a habit of doing.
To think that Omarzai’s 5/58 against England on a placid Lahore track to go with his crucial 40 with the bat got overshadowed by Ibrahim Zadran’s 177 tells you that he played one of the best knocks in the history of Champions Trophy in their last fixture. They have got the results with their biggest star Rashid Khan not contributing much as well as their premier batter in Gurbaz, too, that holds them in good stead as they prepare themselves for another piece of folklore.
Australia: Australia always have been a beast in the ICC tournaments and invariably brings their A game to the table on the global stage. Once again, with a depleted team, they set the cats amongst the pigeons with a record run-chase against England in their very firs game on the back of a remarkable hundred from Josh Inglis.
Their bowling unit looks short of a gallop with the holy trinity of Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood missing but they more than made up for it with the bat in their first game. Rains did not allow them to take the field against Proteas in their second game and they had to split points.
They will be supremely confident going in against Afghanistan having had the wood over them in the past. However, they would also be wary of the underdogs who are riding a high right now. Smith and Head would need to get back into runs while the likes of Dwarshuis, Ellis and Zampa might have their work cut out in Lahore once more.
AFG vs AUS Toss Prediction: Australia to win and bowl first
Even though there is not a clear advantage to the sides batting first/second as per the stats, Australia would certainly want to chase a target on winning the toss having established a record chased here a few nights ago.
On the other hand, Afghanistan like to stick to their strength of batting first regardless of the dew and they did so wonderfully just a couple of days ago at the same venue. They would not bowl first unless it is a shortened game. Our prediction is that Australia will win the flip of the coin and have a bowl.
Afghanistan vs Australia Players to perform prediction
Afghanistan
- Ibrahim Zadran – Fresh off the highest ever individual score in Champions Trophy at the same venue, Ibrahim Zadran is in some brilliant form. He also likes Australia as an opposition and has scored a 129-run knock in his only innings against them.
- Azmatullah Omarzai – It is very rare that a 5-er in an ODI in a winning cause does not get you the player-of-the-match award but it would gave certainly given Omarzai loads of confidence. He will be an important cog in the wheel for Afghanistan with his all-round skills.
- Rashid Khan – It is pretty rare that Rashid Khan has back-to-back quiet games and that is exactly what he has had in this tournament. One can expect the Afghan superstar to be at his best now in such a crunch match.
Australia
- Glenn Maxwell – The Australia all-rounder produced one of the best ODI innings in the form of an unbeaten 201 against Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup and crushed Afghanistan’s dreams. He has scored 295 runs against Afghanistan with a mind-boggling average of 147.5.
- Adam Zampa – The leg-spinner has 4 wickets at an average of 29.50 in 2 matches against Afghanistan and he will be a key figure in the Australian bowling line-up.
- Steve Smith – Captaincy always brings out the best out of Steve Smith and he will be raring to go after missing out in the first game. He has a highest of 95 against Afghanistan with an average of 56.5.
AFG vs AUS Best Batsman Prediction
Who will score the most runs for Afghanistan in the match: Ibrahim Zadran & Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Who will score the most runs for Australia in the match: Steve Smith & Marnus Labuschagne
AFG vs AUS Best Bowler Prediction
Who will pick the most wickets for Afghanistan in the match: Fazalhaq Farooqi & Rashid Khan
Who will pick the most wickets for Australia in the match: Adam Zampa & Nathan Ellis
Disclaimer: The prediction is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision