AUS vs SA Preview: Australia & South Africa keen to maintain winning momentum

Steven Smith’s Australia will cross swords with Temba Bavuma’s South Africa in match 7 of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, February 25.

Australia chased down a giant 352-run target to defeat England by five wickets in their previous match at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Josh Inglis was the star of the show, smashing an unbeaten 120 off 86 balls to propel his team home in 47.3 overs.

Earlier, England posted 351/8 thanks to Ben Duckett’s incredible knock of 165 and Joe Root’s 68. However, Australian bowlers, including Ben Dwarshuis (3/66) and Adam Zampa (2/64), prevented an even bigger total. England’s struggles in ODIs continued, having failed to win a series since their disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign. Meanwhile, Australia bounced back strongly after recent losses to Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

South Africa kicked off their Champions Trophy campaign in style, securing a 107-run victory over Afghanistan, who made their tournament debut. Ryan Rickelton smashed a clinical century, supported by Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen, as the Proteas posted 315/6. Aiden Markram’s added valuable runs at the fag end of the innings. Afghanistan’s chase was around Rahmat Shah’s fighting 90, but Kagiso Rabada’s three-wicket haul ensured they fell well short. Despite their progress in recent years, Afghanistan could not match South Africa’s brilliance on the day.

Pitch Report

The Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium is a batting-friendly surface, with an average first-innings score of 242. The batters will have a good time batting on this surface, which has good bounce and carry. On the bowling front, pacers will extract some movement early on with the new ball. Spinners, on the other hand, will be in action in the middle overs as the pitch wears down. The toss remains crucial, as captains must assess the conditions wisely before making their call.

Probable Playing XIs

Australia: Matthew Short, Travis Head, Steven Smith(c), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis(w), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson

South Africa: Ryan Rickelton(w), Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma(c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi