Australia will face off against England in Lahore on Saturday (February 22) in a high-stakes weekend clash of the 2025 Champions Trophy - Here's what the Betfair odds for the match are.

Both teams enter the tournament with unconvincing form. While Australia succumbed to a 0-2 series defeat in Sri Lanka, England’s struggles against spin during their series whitewash in India pose a serious question about their chances.

Moreover, England have struggled in the format since the start of their 2023 dismal World Cup campaign, losing 16 of the 23 ODIs, the most by any side. They have now lost each of the last four ODI bilateral series – India (away), Australia (home) and West Indies (away).

England's overall record in ODIs against Australia (Win/Loss ratio of 0.714) isn't promising either.

Can England bounce back to form?

The good news for England is Australia are without their first-choice pace trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc. Another positive for them is the pitch on offer in Lahore, which is expected to be a belter with teams batting first posting at least 313 in four out of seven times.

Despite Australia losing out on significant bowling firepower, their batting still looks pretty formidable, possibly enough to overcome whatever challenges a lacklustre England throw at them. As always, Australia will enter an ICC tournament as one of the top title contenders and that’s reflected in Betfair Sportsbook’s odds (8/11) of them winning their campaign opener as compared to England’s 1/1.

Who are the players to watch out for?

Though the Lahore surface isn’t expected to be an outright spin-conducive wicket, it would be foolhardy for England to underestimate Australia’s spin attack, especially Adam Zampa, who has 34 wickets in 16 innings at an average of 23.29 and an economy of 5.43.

Zampa is primed for success in the match and that’s backed by Betfair Sportsbook’s odds (5/2) of him being the top bowler in the blockbuster fixture. For England, Zampa’s counterpart Adil Rashid, who was one of the lone bright spots during the disappointing India tour, is a decent option priced at 10/3 in this regard.

In the batting department, Travis Head, arguably the best all-format batter going around currently is expected to contribute with his signature blazing starts at the top. Priced at 11/4, Betfair Sportsbook backs head to be the top Australia batter. In England's case, a lot will depend on Joe Root, who made his long-awaited return to the ODI setup in the last series against India. And that shows on his pricing at 10/3 to be the best England batter.

You can bet on every match in-play during the Champions Trophy with the Betfair Exchange. This alternative way of betting allows customers to bet against each other rather than a traditional bookmaker. This way you often find much higher in-play odds than with traditional fixed markets. Please gamble responsibly.

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