 A person rides on a motorbike past a wall with a billboard advertisment ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 tournament, in Karachi, Pakistan February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro(Reuters) -The Champions Trophy is being revived after eight years with holders and hosts Pakistan playing New Zealand in the opening game of the ninth edition on Wednesday. The one-day international (ODI) competition was initially scrapped by cricket’s global governing body, the ICC, who wanted only one major tournament in each of the sport’s three international formats, and prioritised the 50-over ODI World Cup. The ICC revived the tournament in November 2021, scheduling the next edition for 2025. With politically estranged rivals India and Pakistan deciding not to visit each other for ICC tournaments, India will play their matches in a neutral venue: in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. The top seven teams from the 2023 World Cup qualified for the tournament, along with hosts Pakistan. The teams are split into two groups, with the top two sides from each group advancing to the semi-finals. The squads of all eight teams, groups and fixtures are as follows: CHAMPIONS TROPHY GROUPS Group A: Pakistan (hosts), India, New Zealand, Bangladesh Group B: Australia, England, South Africa, Afghanistan CHAMPIONS TROPHY SQUADS Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi Coach: Aaqib Javed (interim) Best performance: Champions (2017) India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy Coach: Gautam Gambhir Best performance: Champions (2002, 2013) Bangladesh: Nazmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossai Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana Coach: Phil Simmons Best performance: Semi-finals (2017) New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Jacob Duffy, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young Coach: Gary Stead Best performance: Champions (2000) Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Malik, Naveed Zadran Coach: Jonathan Trott Best performance: Debutants (2025) England: Jos Buttler (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood Coach: Brendon McCullum Best performance: Runners-up (2004, 2013) Australia: Steve Smith (captain), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa Coach: Andrew McDonald Best performance: Champions (2006, 2009) South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Corbin Bosch Coach: Rob Walter Best performance: Champions (1998) CHAMPIONS TROPHY SCHEDULE February 19 – Pakistan v New Zealand (Karachi, Pakistan) February 20 – Bangladesh v India (Dubai, UAE) February 21 – Afghanistan v South Africa (Karachi) February 22 – Australia v England (Lahore, Pakistan) February 23 – Pakistan v India (Dubai) February 24 – Bangladesh v New Zealand (Rawalpindi, Pakistan) February 25 – Australia v South Africa (Rawalpindi) February 26 – Afghanistan v England (Lahore) February 27 – Pakistan v Bangladesh (Rawalpindi) February 28 – Afghanistan v Australia (Lahore) March 1 – South Africa v England (Karachi) March 2 – New Zealand v India (Dubai) March 4 – Semi-final 1 (Dubai) March 5 – Semi-final 2 (Lahore) March 9 – Final (Lahore / Dubai)(Compiled by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne) Cricket-Champions Trophy 2025: squads, groups and schedule |
