AUS vs ENG Dream11 Prediction: 3 players you can pick as captain or vice-captain for today’s Champions Trophy 2025 match – February 22, 2025
Australia (AUS) and England (ENG) face off in the 4th match of the ICC Champions Trophy (CT 2025) on Saturday, February 22, at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. This could be a do-or-die game for both teams, with only one of the two sides likely to qualify for the semi-finals alongside the relatively stronger on paper South Africa.
Despite being riddled with injuries, Steve Smith and Australia have enough firepower in their ranks to trouble any team in CT 2025. Their opponents, England, are set to play their attacking brand of cricket despite the issues they faced in their 3-0 series defeat to India, and it'll be interesting to see how this clash turns out.
On that note, let's look at the top three Dream11 captaincy picks.
#3 Joe Root (ALL) (ENG)
Joe Root is set to bat at No.4 for England in this fixture, with wicket-keeper Jamie Smith slated to receive a promotion up the order to No.3. Nevertheless, England's most dependable batter remains a solid captaincy option despite moving one spot down in the batting order.
With an average of 47.38 and more than 170 ODIs played, Root is easily the most experienced batter in this team and is likely to anchor the England innings. He'll be key to England tackling the Australian spinners in the middle overs, particularly the dangerous Adam Zampa.
Given that England are going in with only four front-line bowlers, Root could also share bowling duties with Liam Livingstone, providing him with an added edge. He remains a top Dream11 captaincy pick.
#2 Glenn Maxwell (ALL) (AUS)
Star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell provides some much-needed experience to what seems like a new-look Australian team going into this Champions Trophy. Their inexperienced pace bowling attack will be put under the pump by the England batters, and Maxwell's off-spin will come in handy in that situation.
However, it's his batting that should deal the most damage to England. In 25 ODIs, Maxwell has smashed nearly 900 runs against England, averaging 37.5 at a strike rate of 108.7, also picking up 20 wickets.
While he's a relatively riskier option, the potential for a mega haul always exists with Glenn Maxwell, and that's why he remains a top Dream11 captaincy choice.
#1 Travis Head (BAT) (AUS)
Who else but this guy for the best Dream11 captaincy pick for this match? Arguably the most in-form player in the world over the last 18 months, Australian southpaw Travis Head is ruling world cricket across formats. The No. 12 ranked ODI batter in the ICC Rankings will feel that this tournament is an ideal opportunity to improve on that ranking.
The attacking Head loves batting against England and has stellar numbers against them. In 18 ODIs, he has scored 894 runs at an average of 55.9 and a strike rate of 108.9. If he can avoid an early dismissal, there's a good chance that Head will rack up a 100-point Dream11 haul by the end of the powerplay. He's easily the best Dream11 captaincy pick in this fixture.