AFG vs AUS: Top 3 Batters to Watch Out for in Afghanistan vs Australia Champions Trophy Match 10

Champions Trophy 2025 has reached its final stages of the group phase matches. The massive game on Friday will pit Afghanistan against ODI World Cup winners Australia. Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will the host the match between the two sides who are still in within a shout to make it to the semi-finals. 

The Australians will be playing at a venue where they know they have done well before. Steve Smith and his side easily chased down the 351-run target set by England thanks to a ton from Josh Inglis. Despite missing some of their biggest names, Australia showed their much talked about resolve to win the match. 

Afghanistan, on the other hand, started the tournament with a loss to South Africa by 107 runs. Many fans and experts thought that the Afghanistan side could find it tough to hold their own. The eight-run win over England, though, has proved the detractors wrong as Afghanistan are still hanging on to their hopes of reaching the semi-finals. 

Here are the top 3 batters to watch out for in AFG vs AUS game on Friday

3. Travis Head 

Australian opener Travis Head didn’t have a great start to the Champions Trophy 2025 campaign with the bat. The 32-year-old, though, has a lot of class and is one of the most destructive batters in the world. Head can score runs at a quick pace when the ball is new. With Lahore being a haven for batting, as seen in the tournament so far, Travis Head will be one of the key batters to watch out for versus Afghanistan. 

2. Ibrahim Zadran 

23-year-old Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran was the best batter of the night and played one of the best innings of the campaign so far. Zadran’s knock of 177 was also the highest individual score by any batter in Champions Trophy history. Ibrahim Zadran is one of the best batters of fast bowling in the Afghanistan squad. The right-handed batter is also very good against the spinners with his ability to use his feet. His battles against Adam Zampa and the Australian opening bowlers will be ones to watch out for on Friday. 

1. Steve Smith 

Australian skipper Steve Smith had a below par star to ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The 35-year-old, though, has been in thick run-scoring form with the bat. Smith has always been a good spin player, and the likes of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad will be aware of this. Apart from his ability to score runs against the spinner, Smith is also more than capable of finding gaps against the pace bowlers. His unconventional way of batting makes Steve Smith a batter to watch out for in the key game in Lahore.