Champions Trophy: England pick Jamie Overton for must-win Afghanistan match | Cricket News

Jamie Overton will come into the England side for the must-win Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan in place of the injured Brydon Carse.

Carse has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament with a toe problem, so fellow seamer Overton will play in Lahore on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports Cricket (9am first ball).

Following the rain-off between Australia and South Africa in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, England know victory over Afghanistan and then South Africa on Saturday will secure progression to the semi-finals but a defeat in either game will see them eliminated.

An early exit would pile the pressure on captain Jos Buttler, who has lost 12 of his 33 ODIs as permanent skipper and presided over a dismal 2023 World Cup campaign.

Buttler said: “I think any time as an England captain, you want to perform, you want to perform well and you want to lead your team to winning games of cricket. We haven’t been doing that enough.

“But as soon as you catch yourself thinking about any negative things, you just try and completely forget that and focus on all of the positive things that could go right and where you can take the team. I’m very much focused on that.”

Will England look to chase if they win the toss?

Buttler’s side lost to Australia in their opening fixture as their opponents successfully chased an ICC tournament record 352 under the lights in Lahore after losing the toss earlier in the day.

With dew potentially a factor at the same venue on Wednesday, making it difficult for spinners to grip the ball and find turn and batting possibly becoming easier, England may look to chase if they win the coin flip this time.

Buttler told Sky Sports: “It is always a bit of guesswork with the dew but it made a big change the other night with the ball sliding on considerably in the second innings.”

England opener Ben Duckett top-scored with a record Champions Trophy innings of 165, only to end up on the losing team as Australia triumphed with 15 balls to spare, thanks chiefly to Leeds-born Josh Inglis’ unbeaten century.

Buttler added: “There were some great positives with the bat – Duckett’s innings was outstanding – and other guys will take confidence from how he played.

“With the ball it’s about finding ways to build pressure. When we did push the scoring rate up we got our rewards with wickets, so can we be consistent for longer?”

What threats will Afghanistan pose?

Like England, Afghanistan are in must-win territory after a 107-run trouncing to South Africa in their first fixture.

Sky Sports Cricket’s Michael Atherton believes the venue may suit England but Buttler’s side have been scarred by Afghanistan before, losing to them in the group stage of the 2023 World Cup in India.

Atherton said: “It didn’t really spin in Lahore the other night [for England vs Australia] so the balance of the side makes sense. I just think they fancy hitting Afghanistan with quicker bowlers.

“Afghanistan’s strength is their bowling, particularly their spinners who are very experienced – Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi.

“They lack a bit of firepower with the bat but if they get a score and put England under pressure they are a different side, as we saw in the World Cup game in Delhi.

“England will hope to absolutely nail the bits of the game they didn’t against Australia.

“They were very good for 80 per cent of the match but they didn’t get to 380 with the bat as they should have done and then towards the end of the Australia innings they lacked a bit of skill and nuance and the game got away from them.”

Atherton: Rehan call-up makes sense

England have replaced paceman Carse with leg-spinning all-rounder Rehan Ahmed in the 15-player squad, with the 20-year-old set to be available for the final pool game against South Africa at the weekend.

He could, however, be more of a factor if England play in the semi-finals or final in Dubai, with that pitch aiding the spinners so far.

On England’s squad switch, Atherton added: “England have got cover for the seamers, in Saqib Mahmood and Gus Atkinson, and there is an outside chance they play in Dubai.

“From what we have seen, it looks very, very dry there.”

Watch England vs Afghanistan live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 8.30am on Wednesday (9am first ball).

Champions Trophy 2025 – results/fixtures 🏏

All games 9am UK time; all live on Sky Sports

Group A

Group B

Semi-finals

• March 4: Semi-final – A1 v B2 (Dubai)
• March 5: Semi-final 2 – A2 v B1 (Lahore)

Final

• March 9: Final (Lahore or Dubai)