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Australia vs England Champions Trophy Tips - Poor form plagues eternal rivals

By Sridhar Bhamidi

22 Feb 2025

Sridhar Bhamidi 22 Feb 2025

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Australia vs England Champions Trophy ODI match predictions to be played in Lahore on Saturday, February 22
England lost 10 of their last 13 ODIs played in Asia
Australia won the last 5 ODIs against England in neutral venues

Can Australia start their campaign positively with a win over England? (Getty Images)

Australia vs England Champions Trophy

The eternal rivals Australia and England start their ICC Champions Trophy Group B journey on Saturday in match #4 of the tournament. The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will host this match, which will start at 2:30 pm IST.

Australia vs England Champions Trophy
Head to Head
Australia Form
Australia Team News
England Form
England Team News

Both Australia and England are in the middle of a wretched form that has taken some sheen off their preparations. In the case of Australia, there’s the added issue of injuries and pull-outs weakening their squad. It could be a close battle, but I am backing Australia to win the contest.

England lost 10 of their last 13 matches played in Asia (ODIs).
Australia won their last 5 matches against England in neutral venues (ODIs).
Australia won 9 of their last 11 matches in Asia (ODIs).

Head to Head

Australia had played England in 161 ODIs so far, winning 91 and losing 65. Of the remaining matches, two were tied, and three ended without a result.

These sides last played in a five-match series in September 2024, which the Kangaroos won 3-2. In the Champions Trophy, it is England who have a slight edge over Australia (3-2), although all three of their wins came in Edgbaston.

Australia Form

Australia are the joint-highest winner of this tournament, emerging triumphant in 2006 and 2009. However, they have crashed out of the group stages in the last two editions.

The Kangaroos are hit hard by injuries, pull-outs, and retirements ahead of this tournament. Steve Smith stands in as the captain, while bowling looks thin on paper.

Australia still remain a dangerous side, as the likes of Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, and Adam Zampa can win matches individually. It will once again boil down to the composition of the team.

Australia Team News

Tanveer Sangha, Ben Dwarshuis, and Jake Fraser-McGurk are likely to drop out of contention. The last two spots could be decided between Marnus Labuschagne, Aaron Hardie, and Josh Inglis.

England Form

England had never won this tournament but are one of the consistent performers, reaching at least the semis in four of the last five editions. They are coming off a 3-0 series loss in India, where the new template under Brendon McCullum was introduced to this format.

There are question marks over the composition of the side, as they fielded either one bowler extra or one batter extra in that series. The lack of anchors, barring Joe Root, is another big concern.

Ben Duckett and Phil Salt have revived their careers at the top of the order, while their bowling could hinge around the leg-spin wizardry of Adil Rashid.

England Team News

England announced their playing XI already, benching Tom Banton, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, and Saqib Mahmood for their tournament opener.

Australia vs England Champions Trophy FAQs

Where can I watch the Australia vs England Champions Trophy live stream?

Our live streaming calendar shows you where to watch the Australia vs England Champions Trophy live stream.

What time does Australia vs England Champions Trophy start?

This Australia vs England Champions Trophy match is being played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore starting at 2:30 p.m. IST on Saturday, February 22.

Verdict

Australia v England - One Day Match

Both these sides have struggled in recent times, but expect them to bring their best game here. England are banking on their tall seamers to do the job, including putting Travis Head under leash. With a depleted squad, Australia’s hopes are built around Travis Head and Steve Smith’s batting, which may suit these conditions. I am backing Australia to rise up to the occasion and defeat England.