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‘Tough To Play…’ Jos Buttler Hails Afghanistan Before Mega Champions Trophy Match

Aakash Saini

Rashid Khan and Jos Buttler [Source: @ACBofficials, @StarSportsIndia/x]Rashid Khan and Jos Buttler [Source: @ACBofficials, @StarSportsIndia/x]

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England captain Jos Buttler has heaped a significant praise on Afghanistan’s bowling arsenal ahead of their 2025 ICC Champions Trophy clash at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday, February 26. While the impending Group B fixture marks a must-win one for both sides, several English players took the pre-match time to acknowledge Afghanistan’s meteoric rise in international cricket.

Jos Buttler, Rashid Khan speak before big game

England captain Jos Buttler upheld the ‘true spirit’ of the game by praising his next 2025 ICC Champions Trophy opponents, the Afghanistan cricket team. While speaking on the Star Sports Network, the English skipper claimed that Afghanistan is a “tough team to beat” as it has an extensive gallery of spin bowling options.

Jos Buttler said:

“They’re tough team to play against. Got lots of variety, obviously lots of different spin options.”

Afghanistan all-rounder and senior man Rashid Khan also acknowledged his team’s meteoric rise in international cricket off late. Khan stated that with the gradual improvement of Afghanistan team every year, the confidence of the players is also increasing. Moreover, the cricketer also boasted of Afghanistan’s spin might ahead of their 2025 ICC Champions Trophy match against a dejected English team.

Rashid Khan said:

“Team is improving every year and the self-confidence is increasing. Very few teams have spin variety like us.”

Notably, the Afghanistan cricket team defeated England the last time these two teams faced each other, during the opening round of the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. They won the match by 69 runs and put a serious dent on England’s title-defence campaign.

As of now, the upcoming match between England and Afghanistan marks a must-one win for both sides, considering the loser of the match will be eliminated from the competition’s semifinals race.

England, under the leadership of Jos Buttler, started off its Champions Trophy campaign with a five-wicket defeat in Lahore on February 22. A day before at the National Stadium in Karachi, Afghanistan fell short to South Africa by a huge 108-run margin.