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Ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy, England skipper Jos Buttler said that while Brydon Carse will be missed, it is a nice opportunity for pace all-rounder Jamie Overton to perform.
England will be playing a crucial do-or-die clash against Afghanistan at Lahore in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy on Tuesday. They suffered a massive blow in keeping their Champions Trophy campaign alive, with Carse ruled out of the rest of the tournament due to a toe injury, and spinner Rehan Ahmed has been called in as his replacement. Speaking about the absence of Carse due to injury in the pre-match presser, Buttler said, "Yeah obviously really disappointed for Brydon to be ruled out from the tournament, but it gives opportunity to Jamie Overton who's been performing really well, I would say similar style of cricketer, so excited for him to get his chance." Speaking about how the rained-off match between Australia and South Africa will boost their chances for knockout stage progress, Buttler said that the equation still remains the same for his side, to win both of the remaining matches, one of which will be a "tough test" against Afghanistan. Buttler said that after the 2023 World Cup clash between both the sides, which Afghanistan won, he said that the team looks really competitive and is getting "better and better" with time. "Unique style in some senses with some great spin options in Rashid (Khan) and Noor (Ahmed), obviously two standout guys that we need to prepare really well for. But as much as we look at the opposition, it is about focusing on ourselves, bringing the best version of our cricket and being confident that that will be enough to win the game," he added. On getting Rehan Ahmed as a replacement, bringing in the number of spinners to three in the England squad, Buttler said that with a nice mix of spin and pace, the team feels comfortable with its balance. England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Harry Brook, Rehan Ahmed, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Malik, Naveed Zadran. Reserves: Darwish Rasooli, Bilal Sami. (ANI)
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