Bizarre! England announce playing 11 two days before their match vs AUS

England has revealed their playing XI for their opening match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 against Australia on Saturday in Lahore. Wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith makes a return to the squad, slotting in at No. 3 and taking on the wicketkeeping duties.   Check Afghanistan vs South Africa live score, match updates and full scorecard here | Champions Trophy 2025

 

Jofra Archer is also included in the playing lineup, alongside seam bowlers Brydon Carse and Mark Wood. This dynamic combination aims to provide a balanced attack with both pace and skill, as England looks to kick off their tournament campaign with a strong performance against the Aussies in what promises to be an exciting encounter.  While teams stay hesitant to reveal their eleven for any match in a big tournament, this decision to reveal the playing 11 two days prior is both bizarre and pretty rare in cricket. However, England haven't done this for the first time as they are known to announce their playing 11 ahead of their games across formats in recent time.  England's preparations for Champions Trophy  Since the 2023 ODI World Cup, England's performance in One-Day Internationals has been largely underwhelming, with only a few flashes of the brilliance that helped them achieve dual world championship glory in both ODIs and T20Is. Despite being led by new head coach McCullum, they have struggled to implement the aggressive 'Bazball' style of cricket in their white-ball series against India.  After the 2023 World Cup, England participated in four ODI series but failed to win any of them. In total, England has played 14 ODIs since the World Cup, winning only four. Their series results include a 1-2 loss to the West Indies (away), a 2-3 loss to Australia (at home), another 1-2 loss to the West Indies (away), and a 3-0 loss to India (away).   

 

 

England playing 11 vs AUS: Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith (WK), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (C), Liam Livingstone, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood