With just a week to go until the start of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the UAE, it sets up a tight race for the premier position for batters in 50-over cricket during the eight-team tournament.
'International cricket is incomplete without Pakistan.'
"The ICC (International Cricket Council) Champions Trophy 2025 is a culmination of those efforts," PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told Reuters.
'The unpredictability factor is mainly due to our culture.'
The ICC Champions Trophy is set to kick off in Pakistan, marking the country's first ICC event since the 1996 World Cup.
Former India opener WV Raman, one of the most respected coaches in the country, feels experience will be a key factor which should go in favour of the Punjab pacer.
Former New Zealand fast-bowling great Tim Southee is confident that the Black Caps' inexperienced bowling attack will do a wonderful job at the upcoming Champions Trophy after watching them perform impressively in the recently-concluded tri-series in Pakistan.
The inaugural edition's winner Mumbai Indians will bank on their core group of players while two-time finalists Delhi Capitals will expect fireworks from Shafali Verma when they face-off in the second game of the Women's Premier League here on Saturday. The finalists of the first WPL in 2023, both Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals made it to the knockouts in the second edition last year but lost to the eventual champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the eliminator and the final respectively. Those defeats were certainly not reflective of how well MI and DC had fared until the knockouts stage, with Harmanpreet Kaur's side finishing second in the points table with five wins in eight matches and Meg Lanning's team topping it with six wins in as many outings. The winners of WPL 2023, Mumbai Indians tend to lean on their core group of players both overseas and Indian and a similar approach can be expected this year, with only a few changes taking place in terms of squad composition. India pacer Pooja Vastrakar, who was grappling with an unspecified injury, was ruled out of the competition and has been replaced by slow left-arm orthodox bowler Parunika Sisodia, who was one of the main performers in India's title-winning campaign in the U-19 Women's T20 World Cup recently. Mumbai Indians have let go of England's Issy Wong, who took the first-ever WPL hat-trick in 2023, after the player lost form and the franchise found the leader of their attack in South Africa's Shabnim Ismail. Among domestic talents, another member of the U-19 T20 World Cup winning squad G Kamalini would be one to watch out for, having finished as the third highest scorer in the competition with 143 runs in seven matches. Apart from a strong leader in Harmanpreet, MI have strong figures from other international sides such as Nat Sciver-Brunt (England), Hayley Matthews (West Indies), Amelia Kerr (New Zealand), as well as South Africans Nadine de Klerk, Shabnim Ismail and Chloe Tryon. While Yastika Bhatia is MI's No 1 wicketkeeper-batter, other Indian players in Saika Ishaque, Sajana Sajeevan, uncapped Akshita Maheshwari and Amanjot Kaur will be expected to play their roles to perfection. On their part, Delhi Capitals will be keen to do one better after finishing as runner-up for two times in a row ever since the competition began. One of the most consistent teams in the competition, the Lanning-led Delhi have strong talent base across departments but the key will be to deliver in crucial matches. All eyes will be on the explosive Indian batter Shafali who has responded to her exclusion from the Indian side with runs in domestic cricket. She forms a lethal opening pair with Lanning at the top, while the likes of Australia's Annabel Sutherland, England's Alice Capsey and India's Jemimah Rodrigues form the core of their middle order. All-rounder Sutherland will hope to draw inspiration from her recent success of having struck 163 in the only Test of the women's Ashes followed by winning the highest individual honour in Australian cricket. While Delhi boasts of three wicketkeeper-batters in India's Taniyaa Bhatia, Nandini Kashyap and Scotland's Sarah Bryce, their bowling looks settled with Marizanne Kapp as the leader of the attack, backed by Australia's Jess Jonassen, India's Radha Yadav and Shikha Pandey as well as Titas Sadhu.
Salman Agha and Mohammad Rizwan both struck centuries as Pakistan completed their highest successful run chase in ODIs with a six-wicket win over South Africa.
The BCCI decided against playing practice games as India is already participating in a three-match ODI series against England.
He is the first Indian to achieve the feat of scoring a century in all three formats in international cricket at a single venue.
Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan has been named as one of the four event ambassadors for the ICC Champions Trophy to be held in Pakistan and Dubai from February 19 to March 9.
PCB chairman Naqvi hits back at social media trollers after stadium revamp
Shreyas Iyer's ability to negotiate spin bowling effectively makes him a crucial asset for India in the ICC Champions Trophy.
'India needs to score big because they will have to defend those totals without Bumrah.'
Sarfaraz recalled how the side regrouped under the guidance of senior players like Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez, something he feels that the present Pakistan side will need too.
Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy with a back injury.
'Quickly assessing what's required to do here will be the key for us.' 'If we can assess quickly and adjust our batting or bowling quickly that will help us moving forward.'
Families will not be accompanying the Indian cricket players heading to Dubai on February 15 for the ICC Champions Trophy as the BCCI's new travel policy comes into effect for the first time with this tournament.
The Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday inaugurated the renovated National Stadium in Karachi, one of the three venues in the country that will host the Champions Trophy.
He amassed 395 runs in IPL 2024 and this breakout season earned him a lucrative Rs 11 crore (Rs 110 million) contract, making him one of three players RCB retained alongside Virat Kohli and Yash Dayal.
Social media was quick to react, urging the former captain to 'focus on his batting' rather than engaging in photo sessions.
The unprecedented moment came during the 37th over of New Zealand's innings when Gwavu was spotted patrolling the field.
There have been 41 cases of Covid in the most recent four-week period ending mid-January, with three deaths.
South Africa opening batter Matthew Breetzke broke a 47-year-old record when he made the highest score on ODI debut with 150 in a losing effort against New Zealand in a Tri-Nations match.
'Pakistan can beat any team on any given day'
On how long Rohit should play, Azharuddin said it is for a player to decide.
Before his dismissal, Kohli showcased glimpses of his class, creaming Gus Atkinson for a delightful four through mid-on with a gorgeous on-drive in the 18th over.
Former West Indies batsman Chris Gayle has come out in support of Virat Kohli, who has been struggling for runs in recent times, saying the Indian batter is still the "best player in the world". Gayle said that Kohli's current form is just a "patch" and that the Indian captain will "pick himself up" and come back stronger.
South African captain Temba Bavuma has said that the ICC Champions Trophy is a bigger challenge than the 50-over World Cup because the lesser number of matches makes it tough for teams to make a comeback.
The New Zealand all-rounder was left bloodied by the blow to his forehead after losing sight of the ball in the floodlights as he attempted a catch in the 38th over of Pakistan's innings.
India's pace talisman Jasprit Bumrah's absence will certainly hurt India, but the team's quality batting and spin bowling make them title contenders alongside South Africa and Pakistan in the Champions Trophy.
Barely 11 days before their Champions Trophy opener against Pakistan, New Zealand's leading pace bowler Lockie Ferguson has been rendered doubtful for the ODI tournament after suffering a hamstring injury during an ILT20 match in the UAE.
The national team, captained for the bulk of those years by Misbah Ul Haq, hosted its 'home' games in the United Arab Emirates and remained relatively successful until fixtures trickled back onto Pakistani soil in 2018.
The 2025 Champions Trophy promises to be a battleground for the world's top cricketers, with several players ready to leave their mark on the tournament.
Former India cricketer Sairaj Bahutule is set to join Rajasthan Royals as a spin bowling coach for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
Young Pakistan opener Saim Ayub has been ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy after sustaining an ankle injury in South Africa in January.
TSung by Pakistani singer and composer Aatif Aslam, Jeeto Baazi Khel Ke is a high energy number set to get cricket fans on their feet.
Seamers Ben Sears, Nathan Smith and Will O'Rourke will play their first global tournament at the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates next month after being named in the New Zealand squad on Sunday.
India's Champions Trophy squad has raised eyebrows with a number of bold selections, including a spin-heavy attack and the exclusion of experienced pacer Mohammed Siraj.
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