Considered to be the one-day event second to only the World Cup, the tournament runs until March 9 and marks Pakistan’s hosting of a global cricket competition for the first time in almost thirty years.
The Champions Trophy kicks off on Wednesday following a turbulent lead-up, which included the tournament being divided between Pakistan and Dubai, and calls for England to boycott their match against Afghanistan. Considered to be the one-day event second to only the World Cup, the tournament runs until March 9 and marks Pakistan’s hosting of a global cricket competition for the first time in almost thirty years. Due to enduring political tensions, the financial superpower of the sport refused to visit its neighbour, so India’s matches will be played in the United Arab Emirates.The International Cricket Council announced in December that India would play their matches in Dubai, ending a month-long deadlock.
If India advances to that stage, which is likely since they are the top contenders for the trophy, it raises the possibility of the final match of the eight-nation tournament occurring there instead of in Pakistan.
Due to political reasons, arch-rivals India and Pakistan only meet in international competitions. They will clash in the group stage in Dubai on February 23.
Three days later, in Lahore, England competes against Afghanistan in a match that has faced criticism from some segments of Britain.In reaction to the Taliban government’s prohibition of women participating in sports, over 160 politicians from Britain have urged for a boycott.
Richard Thompson, chairman of the England Cricket Board, promised that the match would proceed, asserting that a “coordinated international response” from the cricket community would be more effective than individual actions.
Pakistan’s participation in the Champions Trophy marks its first ICC event since it co-hosted the 1996 World Cup alongside India and Sri Lanka.
Besides Karachi and Rawalpindi, other Pakistani cities will host games.After the Sri Lankan team was assaulted by armed attackers in 2009—an incident that resulted in eight fatalities and injuries to several visiting players—Pakistan turned into a no-go zone for foreign teams.
In 2020, due to enhanced security measures implemented throughout much of the country, international cricket made its return to Pakistan. Group A consists of India, Pakistan, New Zealand, and Bangladesh, whereas Group B includes Australia, England, Afghanistan, and South Africa.
From each group, two teams advance to the semi-finals in Dubai and Lahore.
The reigning champions, Pakistan, triumphed over India in the final at The Oval in London in 2017.
India, who have won the tournament twice, are the favourites. Superstar batsman Virat Kohli is looking to bounce back from a slump by his lofty standards. This might be the 36-year-old’s final performance on the international stage, as captain Rohit Sharma is also expected to retire after the tournament.
Sunil Gavaskar, the former captain of India, told AFP, “India is performing excellently in all aspects of cricket and is thus among the Champions Trophy favorites.”
“In my view, the other teams to keep an eye on are the defending champions Pakistan, New Zealand, and South Africa.”
However, India will miss its top fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. Australia triumphed over host nation India to claim the one-day World Cup in 2023, but they are without several crucial players.
Their fearsome pace attack, consisting of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood, is unavailable.
With the unexpected retirement of Marcus Stoinis from ODIs and Mitchell Marsh’s injury—both essential all-rounders—Australia suddenly appears vulnerable.
Last week, they suffered a 2-0 defeat in Sri Lanka during a two-match series. The Champions Trophy qualification was unsuccessful for Sri Lanka.On Wednesday, Pakistan will kick off the ninth edition of the Champions Trophy with a game against New Zealand in Karachi.
The co-hosts demonstrated their unpredictability in the tournament’s last edition, where they lost to India by 124 runs in the opening match but later won the final against them by 180 runs.
England enter the tournament in poor spirits, having been outperformed by India in both T20 and ODI series beforehand.Afghanistan is a formidable team, thanks to quality spinners like Rashid Khan.
In the 2023 ODI World Cup, they stunned England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, and last year reached the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup.
