Tournament Overview
Following the ODI World Cup, the long-awaited Champions Trophy 2025 is coming back with a bang. Suspended back in 2017, the tournament is returning now, and Pakistan and the UAE will be co-hosting the tournament. Although the hosting is taking place in Pakistan, India will host their matches in Dubai since they did not want to go to Pakistan.
The event will witness eight power-packed teams: India, Pakistan, Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. West Indies and Sri Lanka failed to qualify. India, having a strong well-balanced team, is a strong candidate for the championship. Pakistan and New Zealand play the first match of the tournament on Wednesday and India and Bangladesh play their match on Thursday.
Pakistan's Challenges and Hopes
Pakistan had hosted an ICC event last in 1996 along with India and Sri Lanka. There has been no ICC event in the country since then. Pakistan is hosting the Champions Trophy with a lot of enthusiasm and wants to make a good impression with its performance.
The match against New Zealand will be a tough one in a build-up triangular series. New Zealand beat Pakistan twice, most recently. The Kiwis have been a reliable unit, with the likes of Kane Williamson, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips (batting), and Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Mitchell Santner, Will O'Rourke, and Michael Bracewell (bowling).
Pakistan, however, enters the tournament in good form, with Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, and Salman Agha playing excellent cricket. Their bowling department, led by Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, and Abrar Ahmed, is equally good. Consistency, however, is an issue.
Karachi Stadium, where the game is to be held, has a batting-friendly pitch, but spinners will also play a key role. The team winning the toss may decide to bat first.
Pakistan’s Historic Moment as Host
An ICC event in Pakistan was unimaginable until a few years ago. Following the 2008 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team, international cricket was absent in the nation for a few years. Pakistan was forced to rely on neutral venues to stage major series. But with bilateral series against leading teams such as Australia continuing without any problem, the ICC gave the nation a clean chit as a host for the Champions Trophy.
Despite this success, India refused to play in Pakistan, and a split venue schedule followed with Dubai getting the India matches. Pakistan is still committed to hosting the tournament successfully in order to establish itself as a host nation for cricket.
However, there have been problems in Pakistan's preparation. Karachi and Lahore stadium renovation delays have been condemned. New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra also got seriously injured in a tri-series game in Karachi Stadium due to poor floodlights, as reported. Although the ICC and PCB handled the incident without a big controversy, everyone is observing Pakistan's hosting capability. If the tournament is organized successfully, it will pave the way for future ICC competitions in the country. Otherwise, Pakistan will struggle to host multi-nation tournaments.
Semi-Final and Final Venues
- If India reaches the semi-finals, its match will be held in Dubai.
- Pakistan will host the second semi-final.
- If India reaches the final, the game will be hosted in Dubai.
- Even if Pakistan reaches the final, the game will be relocated to Dubai.
- If India does not qualify, the final will be in Pakistan.
Champions Trophy: Previous Winners
Champions Trophy has had various winners since it has been conducted:
- 1998 – South Africa (The first edition was hosted by Bangladesh)
- 2000 – New Zealand
- 2002 – India & Sri Lanka (joint winners)
- 2004 – West Indies
- 2006 & 2009 – Australia (two-time champions)
- 2013 – India (defeated England in the final)
- 2017 – Pakistan (defeated India in the final)
With the 2025 edition bringing back the excitement, cricket enthusiasts around the globe are keeping their fingers crossed to see which team gets to hoist the trophy this time.
