This is set to be a thrilling contest as Afghanistan faces Australia, who recently toppled England. They will now look to stun Australia as well. Group B has become highly interesting in the race for the Champions Trophy semifinals, especially after the South Africa vs Australia game was abandoned due to rain. This has opened up a three-way battle between Afghanistan, South Africa, and Australia for the two semifinal spots.
While the Australia vs Afghanistan game will provide much-needed clarity, struggling England will take on a steady South Africa, who are just inches away from securing a semifinal berth. As for the Australia vs Afghanistan clash, it is undoubtedly a crucial fixture. But how will the Gaddafi Stadium surface behave? Take a look at what can be expected and what the captain winning the toss should opt for.
Gaddafi Stadium pitch report
Speaking of the Gaddafi Stadium surface, it has always been a batting-friendly track, offering favourable conditions for batters. From a match perspective, it would be ideal for the captain winning the toss to opt for bowling first, as chasing could be a better option due to the dew factor. This is likely to give batters an advantage over the bowlers.
Gaddafi Stadium ODI stats
| Total Matches | Batting First Wins | Bowling First Wins | Avg 1st Innings Score | Avg 2nd Innings Score |
| 41 | 4 | 15 | 322 | 339 |
Squads
Afghanistan
Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Malik, Naveed Zadran. Reserves: Darwish Rasooli, Bilal Sami
Australia
Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa Travelling reserve: Cooper Connolly.
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