Last Updated on 2 months by Charbel Coorey
The 10th match of the 2025 Champions Trophy (CT) has a lot riding on it. As predicted on The CricBlog Podcast, Australia and Afghanistan look to be fighting it out for the second semi-final spot behind South Africa, with the Proteas needing victory against already eliminated England to qualify.
Afghanistan, who were outstanding against England, have a great chance of knocking off Australia. The Afghans have given the Australians a difficult time in the last two ICC events, beating them at the 2024 T20 World Cup after a Glenn Maxwell miracle denied them in the 2023 edition.
However, there are a couple of key questions for Afghanistan. The first is how well they can back up less than 48 hours after their victory. Also, they look much stronger batting first, so can they chase well if needed?
For Australia, this will be their first game since beating England last Saturday, with rain washing out their game against South Africa. They were excellent in chasing 352 on this ground, but they will need to find ways to take regular wickets, especially if Afghanistan bat first. Should the Aussies lose, they will need to rely on England to do them a favour by beating South Africa by a big enough margin to qualify on net run rate.
In this article, we will look at the possible XIs, Lahore pitch report, fantasy cricket tips and Dream11 prediction for what promises to be a fascinating 10th match of CT 2025.
CT 2025 10th Match: AFG vs AUS Possible Playing XIs
Afghanistan could stick with the same XI.
Afghanistan: 1. Ibrahim Zadran, 2. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3. Sediqullah Atal, 4. Rahmat Shah, 5. Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), 6. Azmatullah Omarzai, 7. Mohammad Nabi, 8. Gulbadin Naib, 9. Rashid Khan, 10. Noor Ahmad, 11. Fazalhaq Farooqi
Spencer Johnson was overlooked during the death overs against England. Sean Abbott could come into the XI.
Australia: 1. Matthew Short, 2. Travis Head, 3. Steven Smith (c), 4. Marnus Labuschagne, 5. Josh Inglis (wk), 6. Alex Carey, 7. Glenn Maxwell, 8. Sean Abbott/Spencer Johnson, 9. Ben Dwarshuis, 10. Nathan Ellis, 11. Adam Zampa
Gaddafi Stadium Lahore Pitch Report and Weather
There is the threat of rain in Lahore, but fingers crossed things should be clear in the afternoon and evening. AccuWeather forecasts 4mm of rain to fall but all in the morning, with partly cloudy conditions from the late morning onwards.
The Lahore track is a batting belter. England’s 351 was chased with 15 balls to spare by Australia, before Afghanistan smashed 113 runs in the final ten overs to reach 325/7 against England as well.
Australia may opt to chase again, but that could be a risky move given Afghanistan are strong when batting first. So, it’s likely that Afghanistan will bat first in this game as they made that call at the toss against England.
Fantasy Cricket Tips for AFG vs AUS: Top Picks/Key Players to Watch
Note: Try to pick more batters and all-rounders if you are playing on Dream11. The new point system rewards the batters heavily.
Top wicket-keeper picks:
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz hasn’t got going yet in this tournament, but he can fire at any moment, especially batting first. He averages 52.15 in 26 ODIs batting first compared to 20.42 in 22 ODIs batting second.
- Josh Inglis, who smashed 120* against England on this ground, will be vital against Afghanistan’s spinners in the middle overs.
- Consider Alex Carey for your Dream11 teams. He is in excellent form, with 274 runs in his last five ODIs at an average of 68.5 and strike rate of 107.5. He is proactive against spin, which is vital against Afghanistan.
Key batter picks:
- Ibrahim Zadran hit the highest-ever score in the Champions Trophy two days ago (177). He is Also, he scored 129* (143) against Australia in the 2023 World Cup, which drove Afghanistan to 291/5 in Mumbai.
- Travis Head missed out against England, but he is such a dangerous player in these conditions. In all ODIs since the start of 2022, Head has scored 1,396 runs at an average of 55.8 and strike rate of 121.3.
Top all-rounder picks:
- Glenn Maxwell against Afghanistan needs no reminding. He has regularly scored runs against them across formats, with his 201* in Mumbai one of the very best ODI knocks. Given he will be required to bowl as well, Maxwell is a must pick in Dream11.
- Azmatullah Omarzai produced a magnificent all-round performance two days ago (41 and 5/58). With Australia lacking some punch and depth in their attack, Omarzai is a player who can add real impetus to the Afghanistan innings.
- Mohammad Nabi continues to produce the goods. He smashed 40 (24) and took 2/57 (8) against England.
Key bowler picks:
- Rashid Khan will be sure to test the Australians. Plus, he can contribute Dream11 fantasy points with the bat, just like he did in the 2023 World Cup where he struck 35* off 18 balls.
- Adam Zampa is a vital cog in the Aussie lineup and will be required to keep things tight in the middle overs. He may even bowl at the death which increases chances of taking wickets. Since the start of 2022, Zampa has taken 86 ODI wickets at an average of 24.6 and economy of 5.55.
Other Players to Consider for Your Fantasy Teams
- Marnus Labuschagne looked in good touch with the bat against England. Also, he is expected to play a role with the ball again, which can deliver fantasy points.
- Matt Short played really well against England. However, there are still some question marks around his game against spin. Afghanistan have quality spinners in their lineup, so it’ll be interesting to see how Short goes.
- Steve Smith is searching for his best form in ODIs. He is averaging just 33 in this format since the start of 2023. But, given his prowess, especially in big games, Smith can be a safe pick in Dream11.
- Rahmat Shah struck a nice 90 against South Africa earlier in this tournament. He can provide Afghanistan with stability in the middle.
- Ben Dwarshuis will bowl in the crunch overs. His left-arm angle offers a point of difference and has good changes of pace which can work nicely at Lahore.
Other Stats and Matchups
- Head-to-head: Matches 4, Australia 4, Afghanistan 0.
- Mohammad Nabi has figures of 1/16 off 18 balls against Glenn Maxwell in ODIs.
- Glenn Maxwell has faced 39 balls in international cricket against Rashid Khan without dismissal (51 runs).
- Ibrahim Zadran can go big if he gets through the powerplay. He has scored 27 off 29 against Adam Zampa without dismissal in ODIs.
CT 2025 10th Match: AFG vs AUS Dream11 Prediction
Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article, as well as your own instincts, to create your teams.
Option 1:
Option 2:
CT 2025 10th Match: AFG vs AUS Match Prediction – Who will win?
This has the makings of a cracking clash. On a flat pitch, Australia may just have enough in their batting to get over the line and qualify for the semi-finals.
