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MELBOURNE : Australia have enough experience and versatility in their lineup to get into tournament-mode quickly for the Champions Trophy following a difficult buildup to the one-day international showpiece, according to opener Travis Head.
Their respective teams may not have ideal buildup to the Champions Trophy 2025 but Eoin Morgan and Shane Watson are hopeful that England and Australia would do well in the event while picking India as the top favourite. England, under a new coach in Brandon McCullum, were hammered by India in both the T20I and ODI series while Australia have been besieged by injuries losing four top players -- Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh and Mitchell Starc -- to injuries while Marcus Stoinis has announced a sudden retirement from the national team.
India vice-captain Shubman Gill on Wednesday dethroned Babar Azam of Pakistan from the No. 1 spot in the ICC ODI Rankings for batters on the back of his strong show against England in the recent home series. The ICC issued the latest rankings just ahead of the start of the eight-team Champions Trophy in Karachi with the match between Pakistan and New Zealand. “India right-hander Shubman Gill overtakes former Pakistan captain Babar Azam to become the top ranked ODI batter in the world,” the ICC said.
While the Indian Premier League (IPL) remains the most lucrative T20 league for players around the world, it is not the only destination for T20 stars. In fact, now Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, Afghanistan all boast of their own T20 leagues. Out of all the franchise leagues, the IPL is the most lucrative one with astronomical salaries. It also enjoys a dedicated window, making it easier for players from around the world to compete in it. However, no active Indian cricketer plays in leagues outside India.
Two-time winners Australia will be on a quest to regain the Champions Trophy title after a gap of 15 years. They had won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2009 but have failed to reach the finals in the 2013 and 2017 editions, after which the event was discontinued. For the 2025 edition, the reigning 50-over World Cup winners are placed in the four-team Group B which also includes England, South Africa, and Afghanistan. Australia will open their campaign with a clash with arch-rivals England at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on February 22.
Intrigue, uncertainty, backstage drama. The ICC Champions Trophy has seen it all even before the curtains go up on the tournament and it would only get more stirring over the next three weeks, starting with the opening clash between Pakistan and New Zealand in Karachi. Eight teams will vie for a trophy, often talked up as tougher to win than the World Cup, and also to script a new chapter in their own cricketing story. While India will fight it out in Dubai, others will be primarily based in Pakistan, which would get to host its first ICC event since the 1996 World Cup.
Pakistan will host a first major cricket tournament in almost three decades from Wednesday in a move hailed as a landmark just a few years after the country was off-limits because of security fears. Staging the Champions Trophy in three cities over the next two-and-a-half weeks will be a huge boost to the South Asian nation's reputation if authorities can pull it off smoothly and safely. "Convincing the world that Pakistan is a safe country and that it is capable of delivering such a global event from an administration point of view took serious hard work and convincing," former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja told AFP.
KARACHI, Pakistan : New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson was ruled out of the Champions Trophy with a foot injury on Tuesday in a major blow for the Black Caps on the eve of the tournament opener against hosts Pakistan.