Australia and England begin their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign on February 22. The two teams are placed in Group B alongside the likes of Afghanistan and South Africa. Ahead of the Champions Trophy, both sides had poor shows in their tour of Sri Lanka and India, respectively. Australia lost 2-0 against the Lankans and were beaten comprehensively. India mauled England 3-0 to raise question marks on Jos Buttler’s men. Both teams come into this tournament with problems of their own.

Australia are without the majority of their star names. Australia’s pace attack of Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc won’t be there.

Marcus Stoinis retired from ODIs despite being initially named in the squad, whereas Mitchell Marsh was ruled out. The side under Steve Smith still have the resources to make things count. However, the absence of the big guns will take away the gloss and pedigree of the 2023 ODI World Cup winners.

The two teams have met 161 times in ODIs. Australia have the edge, winning 91 matches. England have claimed 65 wins. Two games have been tied, and three matches have seen no result.

On Friday itself, the England playing XI for the Australia match was revealed. Jamie Smith is set to bat number three, with Joe Root, Jos Buttler, and Harry Brook batting in a position lower than usual. England opted for a batting-heavy line-up, and this means the likes of Root and Liam Livingstone need to chip in with 10 overs between them.

England’s playing XI vs AUS: Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith (wk), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.

Here, we decode the key milestones that can be scaled in this contest.

Glenn Maxwell closes in on 4000 ODI runs

Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell is closing in on 4000 ODI runs. The veteran big-hitter comes into this contest with a total of 3951 runs at 33.76. He is 49 runs short of the milestone. Maxwell has 4 tons and 23 fifties under his belt. Maxwell has 1499 runs at home, 1354 runs in away games and a further 1098 runs across neutral venues.

Maxwell chasing 1500 ODI runs in Asia

In 43 ODI games on Asian soil, Maxwell has scored 1494 runs at 40.37.

He is just six shy of 1500 ODI runs in Asia. He has two tons and nine fifties.

Maxwell eyes these sixes record

Maxwell loves smoking maximums, and his 152 sixes in ODIs tell you that. Notably, the right-handed batter is just 4 sixes shy of 50 ODI maximums at neutral venues. He has 46 sixes across 32 innings at the moment and is 4 shy of the landmark.

Meanwhile, Maxwell owns a total of 23 sixes against England. He needs five sixes to become Australia’s highest sixes hitter versus England in ODIs. He can go past Aaron Finch (25) and Shane Watson (27).

1000 runs for Travis Head in Asia

Aussie opener Travis Head is five runs away from 1000 runs in Asia. He owns 995 runs from 26 matches at 41.45. He has three tons and 4 fifties. His strike rate is 103-plus.

1000 runs for Steve Smith at neutral venues

Steve Smith will be wanting to make an impact and score quality runs. The stand-in Aussie captain is nearing 1000 ODI runs at neutral venues. In 33 matches, he owns 977 runs at 40.70 with the help of one ton and 8 fifties. He is 23 runs shy of 1000 runs at neutral venues.

Jos Buttler closes in on 1000 ODI runs vs the Aussies

England skipper Jos Buttler is on the verge of a massive milestone. The senior Englishman is nearing 1000 ODI runs versus Australia. Buttler has amassed 969 runs from 35 matches (33 innings) at 37.26 with the help of two tons and five fifties. Overall, Buttler has 5114 runs in ODIs at 39.33 (100s: 11, 50s: 27).

20,500 international runs for Joe Root

England talisman Joe Root is one run shy of 20500 runs in international cricket (20499). He averages 48-plus with 52 tons and 110 fifties. 6634 of Root’s runs have come in ODI cricket.

50 sixes in ODIs

Root has smashed a total of 49 sixes in ODIs. He needs one maximum to reach the mark of 50 for England. He is in line to become the 10th Englishman to smash 50 or more ODI sixes.

Phil Salt is chasing 1000 ODI runs

England opener Phil Salt is chasing 1000 ODI runs. The aggressive batter has smashed 958 runs in 30 matches and is 42 shy of the milestone. Salt averages 34.21 in ODIs.

Salt is also nearing 1500 runs in List A cricket

Salt is also closing in on 1500 runs in List A cricket. In the 50-over format, he has smashed a total of 1452 runs at 33.76 with the help of two tons and 7 fifties.

Livingstone is nearing 2500 runs in List A cricket

Livingstone has bagged 2451 runs in List A cricket at 35.01. The dasher is 49 runs shy of the landmark. He owns two tons and 14 fifties from 91 matches (79 innings). His strike rate reads 102.89.