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Australia on Saturday won the toss and elected to field first against England in a group match of the ICC Champions Trophy at Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
Squads:
Australia: Travis Head, Matthew Short, Steven Smith (captain), Josh Inglis (wicketkeeper), Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Sean Abbott/Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa and Spencer Johnson
England: Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid and Mark Wood
ODI pitches at the Gaddafi Stadium are almost always flat.
The venue hosted two matches in the recent tri-series, with New Zealand posting 330 for 6 to beat Pakistan, and then chasing down 305 with six wickets and eight balls to spare.
Lahore is expected to be slightly cooler than it was for the tri-series, partly because of rain this week due to which England’s preparations for the match were hampered on Thursday.
The Australian side is depleted following the omission of five key players from their squad, forcing the team to regroup under stand-in skipper Steve Smith as they prepare for what could be their toughest Champions Trophy challenge yet.
Aussies fast-bowling trio—Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc—will all be absent.
The trio has been instrumental in Australia’s dominance on the world stage. Now, in their absence, the Aussies must rely on an untested attack to take on their biggest rivals in world cricket.
