Australia send England in to bat in Champions Trophy match
Australian captain Steve Smith won the toss and opted to field against England in the Champions Trophy Group B match in Lahore on Saturday.
Australian captain Steve Smith won the toss and opted to field against England in the Champions Trophy Group B match in Lahore on Saturday.
Australia skipper Steve Smith on Friday said the team's up-and-coming talent is raring to go in the absence of top stars as they prepare to begin their Champions Trophy campaign against England.
England skipper Jos Buttler expects Australia to pose a tough challenge when they meet in a Champions Trophy Group B clash in Lahore on Saturday, despite missing their pace trio.
England may have been the reigning world champions in both 50-over and T20 cricket as recently as two years ago, but they head into the Champions Trophy facing an uphill struggle to reach the semi-finals.
England's prospects for the Champions Trophy received a boost on Saturday when opening batsman Ben Duckett was passed fit for the one-day international tournament.
The cascade of cash into English cricket created by the auction of stakes in Hundred franchises climaxed on Wednesday with a deal for Southern Brave.
Top-order batter Shubman Gill kept up his good form with a sparkling century to help India hammer England by 142 runs and sweep the ODI series 3-0 on Wednesday.
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has agreed to buy a 49 percent stake in Hundred franchise Trent Rockets, becoming the latest foreign investor in the 100-ball-a-side cricket competition.
Jacob Bethell is set to miss next week's Champions Trophy after the left-handed batsman sat out the second one-day international against India with a hamstring injury.
Skipper Rohit Sharma defied a floodlight failure to return to form with a cracking 119 as India swept to a four-wicket, series-clinching win over England in the second one-day international on Sunday.
England will play Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy later this month despite calls from British politicians to boycott the match over the Taliban regime's curtailment of women's rights.
Shubman Gill led India to a four-wicket victory over England in the first one-day international on Thursday after a strong bowling performance from the hosts in Nagpur.