'Perform against blue shirts' - Young Pakistani fan spotted carrying special placard for Travis Head during ENG vs AUS game
Australia won the toss and elected to field first.
Australia and England took on each other in their most anticipated Champions Trophy 2025 clash at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday, February 22. However, one young Pakistani fan had a special message for star Australian opener Travis Head.
Ahead of the match, a young Pakistani fan was seen holding a handwritten poster and expressed his admiration for the left-hander, hoping to see him perform against England, who were donning the blue jersey. "I want to see Travis Head perform against the blue shirts. Big Fan," his poster read.
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0Both teams are entering this encounter with recent struggles in ODI cricket. Australia, coming off a 2-0 series loss against Sri Lanka, were severely weakened by injuries to key players like Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Marsh, while Marcus Stoinis had announced a sudden retirement. The team also opted to play Marnus Labuschagne over Jake Fraser-McGurk, to strengthen their middle order.
England, on the other hand, lost both their T20I (1-4) and ODI (0-3) series against India. With only one frontline spinner, Adil Rashid, England require their part-timers to step up in subcontinent conditions.
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Travis Head eyes being Australia's X-factor
Despite Australia’s injury woes, Head is their X-factor, given his brilliant record against England. Since Aaron Finch’s retirement, Head had scored 499 runs in eight innings against England, averaging 71.28 with a strike rate of 120.46, including two centuries. However, England pacer Brydon Carse has troubled him in the past, dismissing him thrice inside the powerplay.
Opting to field first after winning the toss, Australia started brilliantly, dismissing Phil Salt (10 off 6) and Jamie Smith (15 off 13) early thanks to Ben Dwarshuis. But Ben Duckett and Joe Root steadied the innings with a crucial 158-run partnership.
Duckett led from the front, bringing up a century in 95 balls with 11 fours and a six, while Root anchored with 68 off 78 before falling to Adam Zampa’s lbw appeal in the 31st over. England reached 216/3 by the 33rd over, maintaining a scoring rate of 6.54 runs per over.
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