Welcome to Winsports!
Username: [user],Pass:[password]
Champions Trophy: Archer back for England, Smith to bat at No. 3
Jamie Smith will bat at his highest-ever position in ODIs when England face Australia, while Jofra Acher is also fit for Saturday's match.
England have named Jofra Archer in their XI for Saturday's Champions Trophy opener versus Australia, while the fit-again Jamie Smith will keep wicket and bat at number three.
Archer joins Brydon Carse and Mark Wood in England's pace attack for their first Group B fixture in Lahore, Pakistan.
The former duo are making returns after minor injuries caused them to miss the final match of England's 3-0 ODI series loss to India last week.
Smith, meanwhile, missed all three matches in that series – as well as the final two T20Is in a 4-1 series defeat on the same tour – with a calf injury.
However, the 24-year-old will bat third against England's old rivals, having never previously batted higher than number five in his previous seven ODIs.
Smith's highest score in the 50-over format came against Australia at Headingley last September, when he hit 49 in a 68-run defeat for England.
After facing Australia, Brendon McCullum's team will take on Afghanistan next Wednesday and conclude their group-stage campaign against South Africa on March 1.
The top two teams in each of the two groups advance to the semi-finals, with New Zealand and India in the driving seat in Group A after winning their opening matches.
We've named our XI for the first game against Australia
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 20, 2025
England XI to face Australia: Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith (wk), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c), Liam Livingstone, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
The best multimedia contents available!
Enjoy thousands of digital contents on your computer, mobile phone or tablet with unlimited access. Available for all types of connection.
[X]
We use first-party and third-party cookies to improve usability, personalise content and statistically analyse your browsing. You can change the settings or consult our cookies policy .