
The 2025 Champions Trophy is set to begin on February 19. Here are the questions facing each of the eight teams as they gear up for the event.
Barring Afghanistan and Bangladesh, all the other six teams will be in action before the Champions Trophy. While India and England will play three games, Australia will be involved in an ODI series with Sri Lanka, though the latter did not qualify for the competition. Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa will also be involved in a tri-series.
The teams will use their upcoming games as a final preparation for the multi-national tournament, which will be held in Pakistan and Dubai.
Australia: Who will be the spare pace bowlers?
With Mitchell Marsh missing the Champions Trophy due to injury, Matthew Short will be the opener in the ODIs against Sri Lanka along with Travis Head. Short, however, has not set the stage on fire as opener: He has opened in seven games. making 152 runs at an average of 21.71 with a high score of 58 at Bristol.
The big news will be Australia likely missing the services of skipper Pat Cummins, who is currently injured, and Josh Hazlewood for the event. Steve Smith, who has prior experience leading in an ICC event is likely to fit in the role, but the bowling attack will take a beating in the absence of the duo. Starc will lead the attack, but the depth dwindles, with Sean Abbott and Nathan Ellis expected to fill in.
England: How will the batters tackle spin?
England have picked Joe Root for the tournament, seemingly to help them navigate through the spinners in the middle order. Root averages 61.6 against the slower bowlers in ODIs, and will be expected to hold fort, especially after the England batters were found out against spin in the recent T20Is against India.
All of Phil Salt, Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone have a huge disparity between their numbers against pace and spin, an aspect which opposition teams will surely look to exploit.
India: Is the pace attack too brittle?
There are not a lot of changes to India’s squad from the 2023 ODI World Cup, but the pace attack could face a challenge. Jasprit Bumrah’s injury continues to be the biggest headache for the team currently - there is no official update on the extent of his injury yet, but he is likely to fly to New Zealand for further assessments on his back. He has been ruled out of the first two ODIs against England but is in the squad for the last game.
If Bumrah does not play in the Champions Trophy, it will leave India’s pace bowling attack hinging on Mohammed Shami, who is yet to play an ODI after the World Cup in 2023. Mohammed Siraj has been dropped from the squad, with Rohit Sharma stating his lack of effectiveness with the old ball as a reason. It is, thus, unlikely that he will be picked as the backup, with Harshit Rana as the prime contender to replace Bumrah. However, he is currently uncapped.
Arshdeep Singh is the other specialist pacer in the side but he has played just eight ODIs and just two in the last year. Hardik Pandya is the other seam option in the side.
New Zealand: How will the young pace attack stand up?
With Tim Southee and Trent Boult both now retired, New Zealand are facing a transition in the bowling attack. The pace line-up consists of Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson, but there is a dip in terms of experience thereafter. Will O’Rourke and Ben Sears are known for their pace, while Nathan Smith is another promising seam all-rounder. However, they have played just 11 ODIs between them, with Sears yet to make his ODI debut.
Bowling in Asia demands different skills and the relatively inexperienced side could struggle with their plans initially. An injury to either Henry or Ferguson could further put their campaign in jeopardy.
Pakistan: Who will open and why is there just one spinner?
Pakistan, as always, have stumped with their team selection, picking just one recognised opener in Fakhar Zaman. Zaman last played an ODI in the 2023 World Cup. Pakistan might need to either open with Babar Azam, who is settled at No.3, or Usman Khan, who is yet to make his ODI debut.
If Babar is pushed to open, it will further deplete Pakistan’s middle order, which will consist of Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel and Tayyab Tahir. The trio have a combined 28 appearances in the format, leaving plenty of responsibility on the senior players, including skipper Mohammed Rizwan.
Their lack of spin options is also a worry. Shadab Khan has not been picked, leaving Abrar Ahmed as the sole specialist spinner in the squad. If he is expensive on his day, Pakistan will be relying on part-timers Salman Ali Agha and Khushdil Shah.
South Africa: Will the lack of all-rounders be a concern?
Just like in the 2023 ODI World Cup, the lack of bowling options in the top six could affect the team’s chances. Though they have a formidable batting order, Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder would probably be number seven and eight, depending on the conditions, reducing their bowling (and potentially batting) depth.
Jansen has played some impactful knocks and has improved his batting, but averages 27.11 in 22 innings, scoring just one fifty. On the other hand, Mulder has made 190 runs in 16 innings at an average of 15.83. In case of a top-order failure, South Africa could be in a spot of bother again, with the specialist bowlers not known for their capabilities with the bat either. Similarly, in case any of their main bowlers has an off day, they would not have many options other than Aiden Markram to turn to for filling in the overs.
Afghanistan: Can they handle the big-game pressure?
Afghanistan have a mix of experience and youth in their team, with plenty of proven and in-form match-winners. Having reached the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup last year, Afghanistan have the team to repeat the performance yet again. But can they handle the pressure of the expectations and prove that their performance in the last ICC event was not just a fluke?
Bangladesh: Can the bowlers adapt outside home?
Bangladesh have won just three of their last nine ODIs, with a familiar trend: While the batters have been notching up the runs, it is the bowlers who have let them down. Bangladesh have posted above 250 five times since the start of 2024. However, they have failed to defend anything above 280 even once in this period. Twice against the West Indies in December, the Bangladesh bowlers allowed the opposition to chase down 295 and 322.
They boast of a strong pace and spin attack on paper, but their effectiveness goes down outside the familiar conditions of Bangladesh, even in other Asian countries. How they adapt and bounce back will be the key.
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