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CONCORD, N.C. Kubota Tractor Corporation and Trackhouse Racing announced that Kubotas familiar black and orange paint scheme will appear on the teams Chevrolets through the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Kubota will also continue as the Official Tractor Company of Trackhouse Racing as it has since 2022.
Its awesome to continue an authentic partnership with a world-renowned brand like Kubota, said No. 1 Chevrolet driver Ross Chastain, an eighth-generation watermelon farmer. Kubotas support of Trackhouse Racing and agriculture means the world to me, and I hope to get them back to victory lane this year.
Chastain piloted the No. 1 Kubota Chevrolet six times in 2024 and secured three top-five and five top-10 finishes, including his victory at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City on Sept. 29.
Chastains Trackhouse Racing teammate Daniel Suárez will race the Kubota paint scheme at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth on May 4.
Its great to have a brand like Kubota supporting our race team, said Suárez, who earned his second Cup Series victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February 2024. I think their continued partnership says a lot about them and Trackhouse Racing and how to build a successful relationship.
As part of the partnership extension, Kubota will serve as the primary sponsor when Trackhouse Racing driver Shane van Gisbergen drives JR Motorsports No. 9 Chevrolet in the Aug. 9 Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.
The New Zealander is competing in the Cup Series in 2025 as a rookie after winning three Xfinity races in 2024.
Im an outdoorsy guy and its great to be connected with a brand like Kubota, said Van Gisbergen who plans to run at least three more Xfinity races in 2025. Ive already put their equipment to use building out a racetrack at my house, so the timing has been perfect. Im looking forward to driving the Kubota car in the Xfinity race at Watkins Glen and going for the win.
For the third consecutive year, Kubota and Trackhouse Racing are putting the partnership in overdrive to support farmer veterans. In the races Kubota is serving as the primary sponsor of Chastains No. 1 Kubota Chevrolet, a $10,000 donation will be made to the Farmer Veteran Coalition for a top-10 finish.
The Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) is a national nonprofit organization that assists military veterans and currently serving members of the Armed Forces to transition into careers in farming, and since 2015, Kubota has partnered with FVC on the Geared to Give program which has provided more than $1 million to the coalition in the form of organizational support, grants to veterans and 46 pieces of donated equipment.
Chastains top-10s throughout the last two seasons have generated a total of $70,000 in donations.
Caymus Vineyards Continues Support Of Haas & Custer
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. Iconic wine producer Caymus Vineyards will sponsor the Haas Factory Team in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The family-owned and operated winery will feature Bonanza, its heralded California Cabernet Sauvignon, on the No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse of Haas Factory Team driver Cole Custer.
The 2025 season marks Caymus Vineyards 12th year of NASCAR involvement and its third with the Haas Factory Team organization.
In 2024, the Napa-based winery celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a special primary livery at the Sonoma Raceway event in June, while later adorning the No. 41 Ford Mustang with its eye-catching Bonanza Cabernet primary paint scheme at Las Vegas and Homestead in October.
Bonanza Cabernet was created by Chuck Wagner of Caymus Vineyards, with the wines name inspired by the bonanza of the great state of California, home to diverse vineyard land where delicious Cabernet can be produced.
Were proud to partner with Haas Factory Team, and were excited to have Bonanza Cabernet ride along with 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion Cole Custer as he makes his return to the Cup Series, said Karen Perry, Executive Vice President of Caymus Vineyards. Gene Haas has his own heralded track record, and his ongoing commitment to putting quality race teams on the track in both Formula One and NASCAR makes him a great partner for our winery. What excites us most is the pursuit of excellence whether in winemaking or on the track. We look forward to continuing to engage racings most passionate fanbase with Bonanza Cabernet.
Since initially connecting in 2023, Caymus Vineyards has expanded its role with the Haas Factory Team organization. In 2025, the winery will continue to have a prominent presence, featuring Bonanza Cabernet on the lower rear quarter panel of the No. 41 Ford Mustang and branding on the drivers firesuit.
Additionally, the Bonanza Cabernet primary livery will be featured at the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas on March 2 and at the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 12.
Caymus Vineyards and the Wagner family have a long history in NASCAR, and we have a shared passion for excellence, making them the ideal partner for our team, Custer said. Caymus makes exceptional wines under a range of labels, and Haas Factory Team is dedicated to building competitive racecars. Im excited to have them on board, and I look forward to driving the No. 41 Bonanza Cabernet Ford Mustang at Circuit of the Americas in March and at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October.
SEBRING, Fla. The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli is set to kick off the season at the site of its inaugural race in 1966, Sebring Intl Raceway, as part of the Sebring SpeedTour.
The challenging 3.74-mile track has hosted 29 previous Trans Am races and has served as the season-opener for the series every year since 2013.
This weekend, Sebring will host more than 60 cars between the TA/GT race and the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, in addition approximately two dozen Historic Trans Am cars in the HTA races.
Watch Trans Am at Sebring LIVE on SPEED SPORT 1.
Prior to race action, Friday will see the inaugural class of the Trans Am Hall of Fame inducted during a celebratory dinner at Sebring. The new Trans Am Hall of Fame was announced in November to honor the longest-running professional road racing series in North America.
The inaugural class consists of 18 legendary drivers, team owners and series officials: John Clagett, Wally Dallenbach Jr., Mark Donohue, Chris Dyson, Ron Fellows, George Follmer, Ernie Francis Jr., Paul Gentilozzi, Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Tommy Kendall, Roger Penske, Greg Pickett, Scott Pruett, Willy T. Ribbs, Jack Roush, Amy Ruman and Bob Tullius.
Three of the inductees will be on track this weekend: Wally Dallenbach Jr., (No. 4 Ultimate Headers Ford Mustang), Chris Dyson (No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang), and Amy Ruman (No. 23 McNichols Co./Valley Automotive Group Chevrolet Corvette). Paul Gentilozzi will also be in the paddock as the owner of 3GT Racing.
Storylines
- Lyn St. James will serve as the Grand Marshal for this weekends Sebring SpeedTour.
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Five Trans Am Series drivers have been named recipients of the Parella Motorsports Holdings (PMH) Powering Diversity Scholarship, assisting them as they continue their careers in North Americas longest-running professional road racing series.
After winning last years SGT Championship, Kaylee Bryson (No. 02 Logical Systems Inc. Chevrolet Corvette) will move up to the faster XGT Class with Sam Pierce Racing. Two-time TA champion Amy Ruman (No. 23 McNichols Co./Valley Automotive Group Chevrolet Corvette) will mentor several of the younger drivers, as she once again returns to the Trans Am Series TA class with her family-owned Ruman Racing team.
In Trans Ams CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, Silver Hare Racings Rafa Matos (No. 57 Concord American Flagpole/SHR Chevrolet Camaro) will serve as an additional mentor for the younger members of the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship class after winning last years TA2 championship. Nitro Motorsports teammates Julian DaCosta (No. 30 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang) and Tyler Gonzalez (No. 10 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang) will both utilize support from the scholarship to fight for podiums and search for their first wins in the TA2 Series.
NEWS: @GoTransAm will air LIVE on SPEED SPORT 1 this weekend!
Watch the TA and TA2 Series from @sebringraceway for FREE!
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SPEED SPORT (@SPEEDSPORT) February 19, 2025
- Of the 23 competitors driving in this weekends TA/GT race, nearly half of the of the entrants are former champions, with 11 past title winners responsible for 20 championships taking the green flag in Sundays race.
Past TA champions are defending title winner Paul Menard (No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Ford Mustang), Wally Dallenbach Jr. (No. 4 Ultimate Headers Ford Mustang), Tomy Drissi (No. 8 Trench Shoring Chevrolet Camaro), Chris Dyson (No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang) and Amy Ruman (No. 23 McNichols Co./Valley Automotive Group Chevrolet Corvette), while CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series champion Brent Crews (No. 70 Nitro Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro) will compete for the TA title this year.
Danny Lowry (No. 42 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.
Lee Saunders (No. 84 LandSearch LLC Dodge Viper) returns to SGT as a past champion, and Chris Coffey (No. 97 Traffic Grafix/Chill Out Motorsports Maserati MC GT4) looks to defend his GT title.
- Drissi On A Role
Tomy Drissi enters the season hoping to extend a four-race podium streak, which he has held since the series visited Watkins Glen (N.Y.) Intl last year. He also drives into the new season with two new partners, Trench Shoring Company and Motul, in addition to welcoming back Franklin Road Apparel.
Drissi has four top-five finishes in the last five years at Sebring, with a best finish of second in 2020. Drissis No. 8 Trench Shoring Chevrolet Camaro will compete alongside teammate Keith Grant at Sebring, who will pilot the No. 5 Trench Shoring Chevrolet Camaro. Grant scored his first TA class podium at Sebring as a rookie in 2023, and finished fifth in last years event.
Drissi is also pulling double duty this weekend, competing in Historic Trans Am. Hes piloting the No. 1 Chaparral Racing Chevrolet Camaro. Driven and built by Jim Hall, Drissis is one of only three of these cars that were built, and the only one known to still exist.
Past Sebring Winners
13 drivers in this weekends field have previously driven to GYM WEED Winners Circle at Sebring International Raceway. Lee Saunders in the SGT class has the most Sebring victories by far, with seven wins dating back to 2014.
TA
Paul Menard, No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Ford Mustang: 2024
Wally Dallenbach Jr., No. 4 Ultimate Headers Ford Mustang: 2023, 2022 (TAH)
Chris Dyson, No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang: 2022, 2021
Amy Ruman, No. 23 McNichols Co./Valley Automotive Group Chevrolet Corvette: 2015
XGT
Danny Lowry, No. 42 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.
Billy Griffin, No. 14 Griffin Auto Care Mercedes AMG GT3: 2022 (GT)
SGT
Lee Saunders, No. 84 LandSearch LLC Dodge Viper: 2024, 2023, 2020, 2019, 2016 (SGT) 2015, 2014 (TA3-I)
GT
Chris Coffey, No. 97 Traffic Grafix/Chill Out Motorsports Maserati MC GT4: 2024
CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series
Thomas Merrill, No. 26 HP Tuners/Franklin Road/Cope Ford Mustang: 2021
Mike Skeen, No. 48 CUBE 3/Franklin Road/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro: 2020
Rafa Matos, No. 57 Concord American Flagpole/SHR Chevrolet Camaro: 2023, 2022, 2019
Doug Peterson, No. 87 3-Dimensional Services Group Ford Mustang: 2014, 2013 (TA)
CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Pro/Am Challenge
Barry Boes, No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro: 2024
In addition to those who have won in the Trans Am Series, Roberto Sabato (No. 61 6th Gear Garage Ford Mustang) has won at Sebring in IMSAs L2 class, and Matt Griffin (No. 67 Griffin Concrete Construction Chevrolet Camaro) has won at the track in SCCA.
SEBRING, Fla. Abbie Stockard, Miss America 2025, has been named grand marshal of the 73rd running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
Stockard, 22, was crowned Miss America in the annual competition in Orlando in January. A nursing student from Auburn University, and a former Auburn cheerleader, she was named Miss Alabama last June before the start of her senior year.
She will give the command to start engines to the nearly 60-car field at approximately 10 a.m. March 15.
Stockard will be joined at Sebring by Miss Florida, Casana Fink, who also competed in the 2025 Miss America pageant. Fink finished third runner up in the competition, also a significant accomplishment for the Ocala native and University of Florida graduate.
Drivers and teams have come to Sebring international Raceway for almost 75 years in hopes of being at the top of their field, and Abbie has already achieved that level of success both through the Miss America competition and her many achievements early in her life, said Wayne Estes, president of Sebring International Raceway. We are honored to have both the current title holder of such a prestigious competition join us at Sebring, and her participation will be remembered as yet another significant event within the storied Mobil 1 Twelve Hour of Sebring.
With plans to pursue a career as a pediatric nurse, Stockard will fully fund her education using the $89,000 in scholarships she earned through the Miss America Opportunity. Her commitment to service extends beyond health advocacy. She has worked with state and national leaders to advance impactful legislation and plans to continue using her platform to amplify awareness for Cystic Fibrosis while demonstrating the powerful influence of women in leadership. A dedicated Mission Partner and Best Buddies Champion, Stockard also has raised funds for the American Heart Association (AHA) and was recognized with the prestigious AHA Go Red for Women Leadership Award during the Miss America Competition.
As a member of Auburn Universitys Tiger Paws Dance Team, Stockard experienced the transformative power of an active and balanced lifestyle. This passion inspired her personal initiative, High Five for Kids, which promotes the importance of establishing healthy habits early in life. Guided by five key pillars of health, the program teaches children that wellness is not a set of rules but an exciting and attainable way of life. Through High Five for Kids, she encourages children, including those with chronic illnesses like CF, to embrace their potential and make positive choices that will serve them for a lifetime.
Inspired by her best friend, Maddie, Stockard is a passionate advocate for CF. She was honored as the 2024 Hero of Hope by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and named an Official National Ambassador for the organization. Her advocacy efforts have raised more than $200,000 for CF research, including leading Alabamas largest CF fundraiser and collaborating with researchers nationwide to accelerate progress toward a cure.
Ref asks Messi for shirt after Miami's win in KC
Inter Miami CF captain Lionel Messi was presented with an unusual request following his team's 1-0 win at Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday as the game's referee asked him for his jersey.
Messi's shirt is arguably the most sought after in world football, with players and fans all over the world keen to get their hands on it.
On Wednesday, however, it was Mexican referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava who approached the 2022 World Cup winner on the pitch after the final whistle to request his jersey.
Messi, who had played all 90 minutes and scored the only goal in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup first round, obliged.
Ortiz Nava, 36, had to wait to get his hands on the precious shirt as Messi agreed to give him the jersey once inside the changing room and for good reason.
Temperatures at the Children's Mercy Park hit 3 degrees Fahrenheit with a "real feel" of negative eight at half-time.
Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano labelled the freezing conditions "inhumane."
"I think it's impossible to play in these conditions," he said after the game. "It is not human."
Wednesday's strike was Messi's first official goal of the year.
The Argentina icon is back in action on Saturday when Inter Miami host New York City FC in their MLS opener.
Rubiales found guilty of sexual assault of Hermoso
Former Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales was found guilty of sexually assaulting player Jenni Hermoso on Thursday for kissing her without consent after the 2023 Women's World Cup final.
Spain's High Court set a fine of over 10,000 ($10,434.00) for the crime, but acquitted Rubiales of a count of coercion. The former executive told Reuters he would appeal, saying: "I am going to keep fighting."
Prosecutors had sought a prison sentence for Rubiales in a case that marred the celebrations of Spain's first Women's World Cup title and sparked a debate about sexism in women's football and wider Spanish society.
Rubiales said Hermoso consented to the kiss, but she denied it.
Judge Jose Manuel Fernandez-Prieto said he believed Hermoso's testimony that she had not given any consent, thus finding Rubiales guilty of sexual assault. However, he said that while this was "always reproachable," this instance was of minor intensity as there was no violence or intimidation.
As it involved a kiss rather than a more serious action, Rubiales should be spared time in prison, Fernandez-Prieto said.
"The pecuniary penalty must be chosen, which is less serious than the custodial sentence," he said in his ruling.
Rubiales was cleared of the charge of coercion for trying to downplay the kiss on the lips of Hermoso during the awards ceremony after the final in Sydney.
Three other former Spanish federation members accused of coercion -- former women's team coach Jorge Vilda, sports director of the men's team Albert Luque and head of marketing Ruben Rivera -- were also cleared of the charge.
The ruling banned Rubiales from going within a 200-meter radius of Hermoso and from communicating with her for one year. The fine was set at 20 per day over an 18-month period.
During the trial, Hermoso said the unsolicited kiss from her boss and the commotion that followed "tainted one of the happiest days of my life," while her teammates testified it left her overwhelmed, crying and exhausted in the following hours and days.
Hermoso's lawyer told Reuters it was up to his client to decide if "she wants to keep up the fight" after Rubiales avoided a prison sentence.
The Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE), which was a private prosecutor in the case, said the ruling was "a significant step forward in the defence of women's rights and in the fight for a sport free of abuse and inequality."
"When there is no consent there is assault and that is what the judge certifies in this sentence. The victim's word is honoured, as the law stipulates, and should not be questioned," Ana Redondo, Equality Minister in the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, wrote on X.
Information from Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Afghanistan begin with dreams to realise, South Africa with nightmares to squash
Big Picture: The game some didn't want SA to play
Group B of the Champions Trophy gets underway with a fixture between the dream side of the last two tournaments, Afghanistan, and the one which has nightmares about the number of times it has not got its hands on the trophy, South Africa.
Headlining both outfits are explosive batting line-ups, with Afghanistan's power at the top in an opening pair of Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz and South Africa's in the middle order. That makes the match-ups between South Africa's seamers and the Afghan top order and Afghanistan's spinners and the South African middle order the ones to watch for.
South Africa: LLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Afghanistan: WWWLW
In the spotlight: South Africa's experience and Afghanistan's spinners
South Africa could be forced to bench both Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs in what is an already strong batting line-up. Aiden Markram's more-than-part-time offspin means they may consider only one specialist spinner in Keshav Maharaj, which will create room for both seam bowling allrounders - Wiaan Mulder and Marco Jansen - and two other frontline quicks.
South Africa (possible): 1 Temba Bavuma (capt) 2 Tony de Zorzi, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 David Miller, 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Corbin Bosch, 10 Keshav Maharaj 11 Kagiso Rabada
Ibrahim Zadran will return to the Afghan XI after last playing for them in March. He has been out with an ankle injury but has had some time at the crease in the ILT20. With AM Ghazanfar out with a back problem, they will have to choose between left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmed, who had success at the SA20, and left-arm fingerspinner Nangeyalia Kharote. That would give them a variety of spin options, alongside Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi in the team and four seam bowlers to boot.
Afghanistan: (possible) 1 Ibrahim Zadran, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 5 Azmatullah Omarzai, 6 Gulbadin Naib, 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Noor Ahmad/Nangeyalia Kharote, 10 Naveed Zadran, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi responds to questions on his side being underdogs against a side they have only met five times and beaten twice
"Like all the tournaments, we will come in with the prospect of seeing ourselves in the final but eventually obviously getting over the line. The nice thing is that we have guys with that experience and there's no there's no real baggage that exists amongst the guys. There's no negativity from the fact that we haven't been able to be successful in other ICC events. There's a lot more of a positivity and confidence in terms of our ability or how far we can go within the tournament."
Temba Bavuma says South Africa do not carry scars from previous tournaments into this one
Smriti Mandhana's RCB ready to kickstart homecoming party
Who's playing
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs Mumbai Indians (MI)Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, February 21, 2025
What to expect: RCB's Indian unit vs MI's overseas players
The formidable RCB side will be looking to continue their imperious run as they enter the home leg. They have a lot going for them this season and though they are without several match-winners from last season, their Indian players have stepped up. Smriti Mandhana continued her purple patch, Richa Ghosh looked in fine touch against Delhi Capitals after her blinder against Gujarat Giants, and Renuka Singh's new-ball bowling has also been a big positive. They will want to make the most of playing in front of their home crowd at Chinnaswamy, where they won three out of five games last season. They will play four home matches this season.
For MI, though, it's been all about the overseas players so far. They have banked on Nat Sciver-Brunt's excellent form with the bat and ball. She followed up her 59-ball 80 not out in the loss against DC with a solo effort of 57 against Giants and gave her side their first win of the season. In the bowling department, Hayley Mathews and Amelia Kerr have been their key wicket-takers. MI will be looking for more support from their Indian line-up, especially in the batting department, to put up bigger scores.
Team news and likely XIs
RCB left Prema Rawat out and brought in senior left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht for the match against DC. Bisht marked her return with figures of 2 for 35, dismissing Marizanne Kapp and Jess Jonassen.
RCB (probable): 1 Smriti Mandhana (capt), 2 Danni Wyatt-Hodge, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Raghvi Bist, 5 Richa Ghosh (wk), 6 Kanika Ahuja, 7 Georgia Wareham, 8 Ekta Bisht, 9 Kim Garth, 10 VJ Joshitha, 11 Renuka Singh
MI made two changes for their match against Giants, bringing in Parunika Sisodia for Saika Ishaque and G Kamalini for Jintimani Kalita. Kamalini played down the order and scored a boundary off the only ball she faced, while Sisodia went for 20 runs in her two overs.
MI (probable): 1 Yastika Bhatia (wk), 2 Hayley Matthews, 3 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Amelia Kerr, 6 G Kamalini, 7 S Sajana, 8 Amanjot Kaur, 9 Sanskriti Gupta, 10 Shabnim Ismail, 11 Parunika Sisodia
Players to watch: Renuka Singh and Hayley Mathews
Stats that matter
Sruthi Ravindranath is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
Shahidi: 'We're not here to just participate, we want to win the title'
"Between 2019 and now there's too much difference and just recently we beat them [South Africa] in Sharjah - 2-1 - so we have that confidence with us and we are not under pressure anyway," Shahidi said at his press conference on Thursday. "Because right now we are focusing what we can do in this tournament and I believe that our team is more ready for this tournament and we are focusing on our own team. There is no pressure on us."
"First of all, about people here - there are a lot of Afghans," Shahidi said. "They live here in Karachi and in Pakistan and also a lot of Pashtun people, I think, they support us. So yeah, yesterday there was a lot of crowds shouting for us [during training] and it feels good and it give us confidence that we have supporters here and about our performance."
"We are doing very good and, in this tournament, we are here to compete here and our aim is to win the final," Shahidi said. "We are not here just to participate here in this tournament. We are definitely 100% looking to win this event and at the same time because we played a lot of quality cricket from last two years and it's a good chance for us because the boys are very experienced and these conditions are also suitable for us. So we have a good chance and let's start it from tomorrow and hopefully we start with the win and we go with the same momentum throughout the tournament."
"[But] we've also had a good look at them - I think probably a similar team that we played against in Sharjah that will be coming again. So, I guess we kind of know what to expect."
Bavuma said the challenge for his bowlers in this tournament would be to keep their discipline on batting-friendly tracks. "I think in terms of the conditions here, we've had a nice look at what to expect. Probably batter-friendly wickets and I think quite a nice challenge for the bowlers. Our challenge as a bowling unit is to be one of the more disciplined and precise bowling units. I guess always look for opportunities to take wickets.
"From a batting point of view, scoreboard pressure is a big thing. Guys getting in, making sure they go get big so we can challenge for those 330-340-350 type of scores."
Shahidi on playing in Afghanistan: 'Hopefully that day comes'
"I have answered this in Pashto but let me say it again because in media I heard a lot from other countries that they [Afghanistan] don't have facilities, they don't have stadiums, they don't have academies. It's totally wrong," Shahidi said. "We have good facilities. We have cricket academies. We have High Performance Centre in Kabul and Jalalabad and also, we have stadiums in every zone of Afghanistan. So, we have the facilities to call a team to come to Afghanistan but in our country there were some security issues that's why other countries are not coming but hopefully soon, as soon as possible, one of the countries will come to Afghanistan and you will see the crowd also.
"When we play domestic cricket, it's fully packed. Even people wait outside the stadium and try to come and watch the domestic game, like more than 50,000, 40,000 or 30,000 people coming for the finals of an event. I know that if any team come to Afghanistan, there will be like thousands of people, fans come and arrive to the stadium because there is a lot of craze for cricket. There are a lot of people who love cricket. So hopefully that day comes and hopefully it comes soon."
*This story was updated after the South Africa press conference.
Joe Root has been England's first-choice No. 3 for the best part of a decade, but slid down to No. 4 in the final match of their recent ODI series in India - which they lost 3-0 - and will retain that role against Australia. Smith has only batted at No. 5 or 6 in his seven-match ODI career to date, but will be thrown into a new role in his first match at an ICC event.
England struggled to balance their side after Jacob Bethell's injury in India, looking one batter light in the second ODI and short on bowling in the third. They have retained their batting-heavy balance for the start of the Champions Trophy, with Liam Livingstone carded at No. 7, which means that Livingstone and Root will have to share 10 overs between them.
Root has batted at No. 4 in 56 of his 163 ODIs innings, but the vast majority were in the early years of his international career. The decision to bat Smith at No. 3 means that England's engine room of Root, Harry Brook and Jos Buttler will bat from No. 4-6 rather than No. 3-5, bolstering their middle order after a series of collapses in India.
Smith only played two of England's eight games on their white-ball tour to India after sustaining a calf injury which ruled him out of the end of the T20I series and all three ODIs. But he has been declared fit to face Australia, and will take the gloves ahead of Phil Salt - who will open with Ben Duckett - and Buttler.
Brydon Carse has also been passed fit after a toe injury ruled him out of the second and third India ODIs, and has been picked ahead of Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton and Saqib Mahmood. He will bat at No. 8 and is England's third seamer, with Jofra Archer and Mark Wood set to share the new ball.
Australia's Champions Trophy squad has been depleted by the late withdrawals of five senior players: Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh (all injured), plus Marcus Stoinis (retired from ODIs) and Mitchell Starc (personal reasons). The two sides last met in the format at the end of the 2024 English summer, with Australia winning the series 3-2.
England XI vs Australia: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jamie Smith (wk), 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Jos Buttler, 7 Liam Livingstone, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood.
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