Tag: Champions Trophy 2025

AUCKLAND: New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Sunday announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled in Pakistan, with India playing their matches in Dubai.

Seasoned players Kane Williamson, Devon Conway and Lockie Ferguson were recalled to form an experienced New Zealand squad to contest the Champions Trophy.

The aforementioned three players were unavailable for the recently concluded home ODI series against Sri Lanka because of offshore T20 commitments.

Batters Williamson and Conway have been playing in South Africa’s T20 league while pace bowler Ferguson is involved in Australia’s Big Bash competition.

Ben Sears was also selected for the ICC tournament co-hosted by Pakistan and UAE, having missed the 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka with a knee injury.

It will be the first senior ICC event for Sears and fellow pace bowlers Will O’Rourke and Nathan Smith.

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Coach Gary Stead will oversee a squad he said also boasted experience and depth.

“We’re currently blessed with a lot of quality players and that certainly made for some challenging selection discussions,” Stead said.

Spin bowler Mitchell Santner will lead New Zealand at a major event for the first time, after being named full-time white ball captain in December.

Santner, former skipper Williamson and wicketkeeper Tom Latham were all part of the New Zealand squad for the last edition of the Champions Trophy, in England and Wales in 2017.

New Zealand will contest the tournament’s opening match against Pakistan in Karachi on February 19, followed by pool games against Bangladesh and India.

New Zealand squad for Champions Trophy 2025

Mitchell Santner (c), Will Young, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Ben Sears, Will O’Rourke

READ: Shakib Al Hasan dropped as Bangladesh announce squad for Champions Trophy

DHAKA: Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Sunday announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, with veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan missing out.

The all-rounder was recently banned from bowling in competitions governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). This decision came on the heels of an independent re-assessment of his bowling action revealing concerns over the legality of his deliveries.

Although Shakib Al Hasan remained eligible to participate as a specialist batter, the Bangladeshi selectors opted to exclude him.

Moreover, Bangladesh will also be lacking the services of another veteran player, Tamim Iqbal, who recently retired from international cricket, despite having been approached by the team’s white-ball captain, Najmul Hossain Shanto, along with other key figures within the squad, urging him to reconsider.

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However, experienced players such as wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim and all-rounder Mahmudullah have secured their places in the contingent, bringing their wealth of knowledge and skill to the mix.

The ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy will kick off on 19 February with host and defending champions Pakistan taking on New Zealand in the curtain-raiser in Karachi’s National Bank Stadium.

Bangladesh are placed in Group A alongside India, Pakistan and New Zealand. They will play their opening game in the tournament against India in Dubai on February 20.

Bangladesh squad for Champions Trophy 2025

Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mahmudullah Riyad, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossain Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana.

READ: Tamim Iqbal retires from international cricket again

Pakistan white-ball vice-captain Salman Ali Agha has expressed optimism about the recovery of young opener Saim Ayub ahead of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Saim sustained a fractured ankle on the opening day of the Cape Town Test against South Africa, ruling him out for an initial six weeks. He is currently in London for his treatment and a detailed evaluation of his injury.

Salman, during a media interaction in Lahore on Friday, offered an encouraging update, while requesting fans to pray for Saim’s speedy recovery.

“The reports are positive, and Saim Ayub is expected to recover in time for the Champions Trophy. Please keep him in your prayers for a speedy recovery,” he stated.

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Salman Ali Agha also showed confidence in the team’s readiness for the mega-event, which is scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan.

“We are ready for the Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan. After playing a long season, there is another long season ahead, so the preparation is good,” said Salman.

However, he was quick to highlight that the immediate focus remains on the upcoming series against the West Indies.

“The Champions Trophy is on our minds, but before that, the West Indies series is ongoing,” he added.

READ: Faham-ul-Haq named in emerging players category ahead of PSL 10 Draft

KARACHI: A six-member International Cricket Council (ICC) delegation visited the National Bank Stadium here on Thursday to evaluate the progress of the preparations for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.

The delegation thoroughly assessed the ongoing development work and took photographs of various sections of the stadium.

They were accompanied by representatives of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), including Usman Wahla, PCB’s Director of International Cricket, who provided an extensive briefing on the progress.

According to sources, 90% of the construction and renovation work at the National Bank Stadium has already been completed.

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The visit to Karachi was part of a larger assessment plan, with the ICC delegation also scheduled to inspect venues in Rawalpindi and Lahore in the coming days.

The tour aims to ensure all necessary facilities, including an ICC temporary office to be set up in a newly constructed building, are in place before the tournament.

The ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy will kick off on 19 February with host and defending champions Pakistan taking on New Zealand in the curtain-raiser in Karachi’s National Bank Stadium.

Meanwhile, the season finale is scheduled on 9 March in Lahore, unless India qualify, in which case it will be played in Dubai.

READ: Steve Smith to lead Australia in Test series against Sri Lanka

Explosive top-order batter Fakhar Zaman has expressed his eagerness to return to the Pakistan cricket team for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Currently, Fakhar is in the United Arab Emirates, where he is playing for the Desert Vipers in the International League T20 (ILT20).

While he is actively participating in domestic and franchise cricket, he has not represented Pakistan since the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024.

However, he has been in the news since November due to a social media post expressing his disappointment over the exclusion of Babar Azam from the last two Tests during the home series against England.

In response to the post, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issued a show-cause notice to Fakhar Zaman and subsequently left him out of the central contracts. He was also not considered for the tours of Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.

Recently, Fakhar revealed that he had been sidelined due to health issues following the T20 World Cup 2024. He is now focusing on making a strong comeback for the Champions Trophy 2025.

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“I have recovered 100% and you will see me in the next international series which Pakistan plays,” he said. “Actually, many people do not know this, but after the T20 World Cup, I got sick and due to my medical condition, I was not fit, so I was not part of the team.”

“My plan has been around the Champions Trophy. I did not play in Australia or in South Africa, as my whole plan was to play in the Champions Trophy to make myself available and to be fully fit for the tournament.”

Fakhar Zaman also shared that although he prefers to open the innings, he is ready to play at any position in the batting order according to the requirements of the team.

“In Pakistan, we have three of the best players in the world in Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub, so sometimes I feel lucky to be in the team even if I am not able to make my place as an opener,” he said.

“If the team has faith in me and wants me to bat at number four or five, that totally makes sense, because for me, the team always comes first and I play wherever the team wants me to play. But I always prefer to open.”

READ: Ali Tareen reveals Ihsanullah may never bowl like before

Aqib Javed, the interim head coach of the Pakistan men’s cricket team, believes that the national team can replicate their success from the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 and successfully defend the title in the upcoming 2025 edition.

Pakistan came from behind to win the Champions Trophy 2017, under the leadership of Sarfaraz Ahmed, after defeating arch-rivals India in the final.

In a recent episode of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Podcast, Aqib passionately articulated his belief in Pakistan’s ability to defend their title on home soil.

He emphasized the significance of the upcoming tri-nation series featuring South Africa and New Zealand, highlighting how this series will serve as crucial preparation for the team as they gear up for the highly anticipated mega-event.

“Tri-nation [series] before the Champions Trophy is a good opportunity and it is against major teams,” said Aqib. “So, it will help clear a couple of doubts in the decision-making process.”

“Champions Trophy in Pakistan, in front of our fans, we are very excited and I think, Pakistan can repeat that. We are still the defending champions,” he added.

The former fast bowler elaborated on his vision to broaden the selection of players, aiming to implement a rotational policy.

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“The way cricket is evolving, we will have to increase our players’ pool. For that, you need to take brave decisions sometimes,” said Aqib Javed.

“You can’t carry a player for 12 months. So, we have to develop not entirely but to some extent different teams for red-ball and white-ball cricket so that the players remain fresh and interested.

“So, gaps are essential and I noticed when players stay in a match mood, they do not even get the time to improve their personal skills; be it physical or technical.

“The strive would be to give them four to six weeks of rest after three months so that they can work on their skills, and regain physical fitness because our focus is how to carry them for 10 to 12 years at the top.”

It’s worth noting that the ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy will kick off on 19 February with host and defending champions Pakistan taking on New Zealand in the curtain-raiser in Karachi.

Meanwhile, the season finale is scheduled on 9 March in Lahore, unless India qualify, in which case it will be played in Dubai.

READ: Ravi Shastri expects Rohit Sharma to ‘pull plug’ on Test career

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday revealed the schedule of the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, which will be hosted by Pakistan.

The ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy will kick off in Karachi on 19 February, while the final is scheduled for 9 March.

The eight-team tournament will consist of 15 matches over 19 days and will take place in Pakistan and Dubai.

In Pakistan, Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi will be the three venues to host tournament play. Each Pakistan venue will feature three group games apiece, with Lahore hosting the second semi-final.

Lahore will also host the final on 9 March, unless India qualify, in which case it will be played in Dubai. Both the semi-finals and the final will have reserve days.

The three group matches involving India, as well as the first semi-final, will be played in Dubai.

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Pakistan take on New Zealand in the Group A tournament opener in Karachi on 19 February. The Dubai leg begins the following day with India taking on Bangladesh.

Group B begins on 21 February, with Afghanistan squaring up against the Proteas in Karachi.

A big weekend then kicks off with rivals England and Australia set to clash in Lahore on Saturday (22 February), with the much-anticipated Pakistan-India clash set for the day later.

The eight sides in the Champions Trophy competing for the famous white winners’ jackets are the teams that finished in the top eight positions on the points table of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

Group A of the tournament features current Champions Trophy holders and hosts Pakistan, along with India, New Zealand and Bangladesh, while Group B features Cricket World Cup 2023 champions Australia, alongside Afghanistan, England and South Africa.

Schedule of ICC Champions Trophy 2025

19 February, Pakistan v New Zealand, Karachi, Pakistan

20 February, Bangladesh v India, Dubai

21 February, Afghanistan v South Africa, Karachi, Pakistan

22 February, Australia v England, Lahore, Pakistan

23 February, Pakistan v India, Dubai

24 February, Bangladesh v New Zealand, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

25 February, Australia v South Africa, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

26 February, Afghanistan v England, Lahore, Pakistan

27 February, Pakistan v Bangladesh, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

28 February, Afghanistan v Australia, Lahore, Pakistan

1 March, South Africa v England, Karachi, Pakistan

2 March, New Zealand v India, Dubai

4 March, Semi-final 1, Dubai

5 March, Semi-final 2, Lahore, Pakistan

9 March, Final, Lahore (unless India qualify, when it will be played in Dubai)

10 March, Reserve day

READ: Fakhar Zaman breaks silence on his post in support of Babar Azam

LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Sunday, recalled star batter Joe Root to the national ODI squad for the much-anticipated ICC Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled in Pakistan.

The England Men’s selection panel named 15-member ODI and T20I squads that will play tour India for the white-ball series in January, followed by the Champions Trophy 2025 in February and March.

Root has been a key member of England’s Test team, however, he has not featured in any ODI since the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup in November 2023.

Alongside Root, Jos Buttler has also returned to the team and will be leading them during the tour of ODI as well as the eight-team mega-event.

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Meanwhile, Test captain Ben Stokes was not considered for selection owing to a left hamstring injury, which he sustained during the third Test match against New Zealand earlier this month.

England squad will depart on 17 January 2025 for India, where they will play three T20Is and as many ODIs from January 22 to February 12 before heading to Pakistan for Champions Trophy.

England squad for T20I series against India

Jos Buttler (c), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood

England squad for India ODIs and Champions Trophy

Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood.

READ: Nathan McSweeney breaks silence after being dropped from Australia Test squad

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday confirmed the hybrid model for the Champions Trophy 2025, which will be hosted by Pakistan, with India playing their matches at a neutral venue.

Earlier today, a report from ESPNcricinfo revealed that the hybrid model has received approval for the entire ICC event cycle spanning from 2024 to 2027.

The ICC has now officially confirmed the development through a press release.

“ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 to be played across Pakistan and a neutral venue,” the apex cricket body announced.

“India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue, the ICC Board confirmed on Thursday, 19 December.”

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“This will apply to the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 (hosted by Pakistan), set to be played in February and March 2025, as well as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (hosted by India) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (hosted by India and Sri Lanka).”

The ICC also confirmed that Pakistan will host the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028, the first event of the next event cycle. Similar to the current cycle, India will not travel to Pakistan for the 2028 event.

“It was also announced that the PCB has been awarded hosting rights of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028, where neutral venue arrangements will also apply,” the press release further stated.

“The schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to be confirmed soon, with Pakistan aiming to defend the title they won in 2017.”

READ: ‘Hybrid model’ approved for Champions Trophy 2025: reports

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has taken a significant step towards resolving the long-standing India-Pakistan stalemate by approving a hybrid model for the upcoming Champions Trophy scheduled for 2025.

This breakthrough follows a proposal from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) put forth on December 2, which introduced an innovative approach dubbed the ‘fusion formula‘.

Under this new arrangement, India, as they wanted, would be playing their matches at a neutral venue during the Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy. In return, Pakistan will also compete at neutral venues during future ICC events that are set to be hosted in India.

According to a report from ESPNcricinfo, this hybrid model has received approval for the entire ICC event cycle spanning from 2024 to 2027.

“The ICC have finally reached a breakthrough in the 2025 Champions Trophy impasse, with a hybrid model agreed upon that will see India’s matches in the eight-team event taking place at a neutral venue,” the report stated.

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“In return, Pakistan’s matches with India in ICC events hosted by India will also take place at a neutral venue.

“ESPNcricinfo has seen a resolution with details of the agreement, and which is expected to undergo an ICC board vote, in which during the 2024-2027 event cycle, all matches involving India in an event hosted in Pakistan will be played at a neutral venue, and in return, all matches involving Pakistan in an event hosted by India will be played at a neutral venue.”

Pakistan will not be travelling to India for the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 and the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which will be co-hosted by Sri Lanka.

It’s important to note that this hybrid model is also applicable to the Women’s T20 World Cup 2028, the first tournament of the next event cycle, which has now been awarded to Pakistan.

READ: South Africa suffer major blow as key player ruled out of Pakistan ODIs