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Australia vs South Africa Champions Trophy 2025, Live Updates: Toss for Australia's Champions Trophy match against South Africa has been delayed due to rain at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. If the match does take place, it won't be a full-fledged match as the overs have started to reduce.
A battered England will hope to keep their Champions Trophy hopes alive when they face a dangerous Afghanistan in a crucial group B match in Lahore on Wednesday. A defeat here would severely dent both the teams' dreams of a semifinal berth in the tournament, as South Africa and Australia have already notched up two points. The days of England's white ball supremacy are far behind now, as the former world champions' creaking unit even failed to defend a 350-plus total against Australia in their tournament opener.
Australia and South Africa, two teams possessing plenty of batting firepower, will look to outmuscle each other here on Tuesday and put one foot in the semifinals of the Champions Trophy. Not many were giving a depleted Australia a chance in the tournament but their record-breaking chase against England in Lahore has once again shown their penchant for rising to the occasion in ICC events. The dew played its part the other night in Lahore and could once again aid the chasing team in Rawalpindi.
Opener Ben Duckett struck a Champions Trophy record score of 165 off 143 balls as England racked up the highest total in the event's history after making 351-8 against Australia on Saturday. The 30-year-old left-hander smashed his highest ODI score, and third century, as England built a commanding total after being sent in to bat on a flat Gaddafi Stadium pitch in Lahore. Duckett hit 17 four and three sixes to beat the previous best individual score of 145 in the Champions Trophy. New Zealand's Nathan Astle (2004) and Zimbabwean Andy Flower (2002) had shared the record. In their opening Group B encounter, England also surpassed the previous highest innings tally in tournament history of 347-4 by New Zealand against the USA at The Oval in 2004.
Australia's stand-in captain, Steve Smith is not concerned over the absence of key players in the Champions Trophy and wants the younger players to perform under pressure in the global event. The Aussies will start their campaign in the tournament with a match against old foes England on Saturday, but the 50-over world champions will not have premier pacers Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc in their ranks. They will also miss the services of injured Mitchell Marsh and retired Marcus Stoinis.
MELBOURNE : Adam Zampa wants new heroes to emerge from the Australian squad at the Champions Trophy to cover the "big loss" of the team's champion pace trio.
An Australia team struggling for confidence and missing the wealth of experience that has long been the backbone of their success face a daunting task to win a first Champions Trophy title since 2009. The World Cup holders are without their "Big Three" pacemen -- Pat Cummins (ankle), Josh Hazlewood (hip) and Mitchell Starc, who has opted out for personal reasons. It is a giant hole to fill with the trio sharing 525 ODI wickets across a combined 308 games. Add in the absence of all-rounders Mitchell Marsh (back) and Marcus Stoinis (retired), and half of their regular team is missing.
Their respective teams may not have ideal buildup to the Champions Trophy 2025 but Eoin Morgan and Shane Watson are hopeful that England and Australia would do well in the event while picking India as the top favourite. England, under a new coach in Brandon McCullum, were hammered by India in both the T20I and ODI series while Australia have been besieged by injuries losing four top players -- Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh and Mitchell Starc -- to injuries while Marcus Stoinis has announced a sudden retirement from the national team.