Green Team ready to defend title on home after preparations completed on schedule.
After many struggles, the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy is set to finally take off today when hosts Pakistan face New Zealand at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium.
Speculations concerning the reconstruction of three stadiums in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi, and India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan raised the question of whether the country would be allowed to host their first ICC event since the 1996 World Cup.
However, the Green Team is ready to defend its title at home after all preparations for the event have been completed on schedule.
Pakistan spent nearly a decade in the wilderness after gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team’s bus in Lahore in 2009, wounding six players. Top teams shunned Pakistan after the attack and it took the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) years to convince foreign counterparts that it was safe to visit.
That year, Pakistan lost the hosting rights to the 2009 Champions Trophy and was ruled out as co-hosts of the 2011 World Cup.
At present, all seven teams, except India, will travel to Pakistan for the current event in the three major cities.
The Champions Trophy is a prestigious event played between the top eight-ranked teams in the world divided into groups of two. The top two from each group would qualify for the semi-finals and finals.
Initially called the ICC KnockOut featuring top teams in a single-elimination format, the first tournament was held in Dhaka in 1998, setting the foundations for what would be later known as the Champions Trophy.
The event has been won by eight different teams since its inauguration with India and Australia being the only two-time winners.
India’s first win in 2003 was shared with Sri Lanka after the final was abandoned due to rain.
The ICC initially planned to discontinue the tournament amid the rising popularity of the T20 format, however, after eight years, the event will return to South Asia, giving cricket fans hope for an ODI format tournament.
The teams for the event were announced last month. The PCB, however, delayed the announcement due to difficult decisions that were to be made.
Let us take a look at the teams set to showcase their bat-and-ball skills and who to keep an eye on for possible trophy-worthy performances.
Squads
For the home side, the responsibility to score most runs will once again fall on the shoulders of skipper Mohammad Rizwan and top-order batter Babar Azam, who has been out of form lately.
Saim Ayub, a dear miss, has been replaced by Fakhar Zaman, a like-for-like substitution as the leftie possesses enough capability to up the ante at will. However, Abdullah Shafique’s exclusion from the spot has seen Babar open for the side, an experiment which has not worked so far.
Pakistan will rely on their three pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf, with Rauf likely to make his comeback in the opening match of the event. The trio, now in their third year of bowling alongside each other, is expected to reap rewards for the home side.
India’s batting lineup will be led by their veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli alongside youngster Shubman Gill. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul add stability to the side but it will be interesting to see how Rishabh Pant decides to bat in the tournament.
A major miss for the Indian side will be their ace-pace Jasprit Bumrah, however, veterans such as Mohammad Shami, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja make up a threatening bowling attack.
The Aussies will be led by Steve Smith as pacer Pat Cummins recovers from ongoing injuries alongside Josh Hazelwood.
Pacer Mitchell Starc has also pulled out of the tournament due to some personal reasons, leaving the Australian side without their “Big Three”.
As concerning as it sounds, the Australian side with the likes of Smith, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa is capable of winning any ICC tournament — a feat they have been achieving since 2021. The only trophy missing from the cabinet of this Australian side is a Champions Trophy.
The runners-up for the 2013 edition, England will put up the usual suspects in their playing 11, namely Jos Buttler, Harry Brook, Adil Rashid and Joe Root. England will be glad to have Jofra Archer back in the side. It remains to be seen how effective he will turn out to be on Pakistani pitches.
Another strong line-up for the event will be the Kiwis who will have Kane Williamson, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell and Devon Conway as their batting options.
New Zealand will miss their premium fast bowlers Lockie Ferguson — who picked up an injury earlier this month — and Ben Sears.
Another miss for Kiwis will be Rachin Ravindra who was injured against Pakistan during the tri-series after the ball struck his forehead while fielding. It is yet to be seen whether he will return for the event, with the New Zealand Cricket Board saying he passed the initial Head Injury Assessment but his laceration required stitches.
South Africa, a side almost always packed with talent, has not disappointed this time around either. The side will line up matchwinners such as Temba Bavuma, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada and Rassie van der Dussen.
Apart from players who can dictate the match at will, the African side also has great talent in the likes of Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi and Lungi Ngidi.
And if there was any doubt regarding the talent in the side, like India, Australia and New Zealand, South Africa will still play without their fast bowler Anrich Nortje, who hasn’t played any competitive cricket since December last year.
Debutants Afghanistan, who might seem like the underdogs, are well equipped with the likes of seasoned players such as Mohammad Nabi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rashid Khan. Youngsters such as Noor Ahmad, Naveed Zadran, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Ibrahim Zadran will look to steal the spotlight in their side’s first edition of the Champions Trophy.
An inexperienced Bangladesh side will line up for the event led by Nazmul Hossain Shanto with Mushfiqur Rahim and Mohammad Mahmudullah providing them with much-needed expertise.
The majority of the teams are without their premium fast bowlers, however, that might not affect the competitiveness of the tournament given the surfaces on which the matches will be played.
Of the eight innings of four matches in the tri-series tournament held after the reconstruction was completed, five saw scores of over 300.
The teams will rely highly on their anchors to play through the innings, a tedious task. At the same time, raw strength and firepower will have a large part to play as teams will look to score upwards of 350.
The schedule
The opening game of the tournament is of utmost importance for Pakistan and New Zealand, as victors, will have one step in the final, given either side will be favourites to win against Bangladesh.
The format and matches of the tournament ensure an exciting format as most games teams will play in will likely be a do-or-die tie.
India’s game against Pakistan is crucial for both sides, however, India will face the consistent Kiwis in their last game of the group stage which will be a tough outing for either side.
In the other group, the weakest side on paper, Afghanistan, are expected to cause multiple upsets with their carefree style of play. A tie in Group B which is likely to light up the stadium, will be between Australia and England in Lahore.
A fixture that never disappoints due to sheer competitiveness will be the match between South Africa and Australia in Rawalpindi. The ground on offer can set the stage for another 400-plus ODI game between the two, like the one in Johannesburg in 2006.
The tournament will bring about new surprises, records and faces to the centre stage as Pakistan preps for their first ICC tournament in 29 years.
All in all, a highly contested tournament should be expected with all sides claiming to attain the title of champions of champions.
Header image: A person rides on a motorbike past a wall with a billboard advertisement ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 tournament, in Karachi on Feb 13, 2025. — Reuters/Akhtar Soomro
