Skipper Rohit Sharma showered praise on his deputy Shubman Gill and veteran pacer Mohammed Shami for coming with game-changing performances against Bangladesh in India’s Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh in Dubai on Thursday. Gill made an unbeaten hundred and Shami walked away with a five-wicket haul as India registered a six-wicket win over Bangladesh at the DICS. “We’ve been in that situation many times before and like I said many times (in the past), there’s a lot of experience in that dressing room to handle that composure where it’s needed and KL (Rahul) and (Shubman) Gill at the end were quite composed,” Rohit said during the post-match presentation.

Rohit heaped praise on player of the match Gill.

“Gill, we know the class that he has, he’s been batting brilliantly of late and today what he showed us with the bat shouldn’t surprise anyone,” he said.

“What was good to see that he was there till the end to make sure that he sees off the game,” Rohit added.

Rohit also lauded Shami for his five-for that helped the pacer to complete 200 wickets in ODIs.

“Yeah, very happy for him. (It has been a) long time waiting, we obviously know what he brings to us,” Rohit said.

“The quality that he has, the kind of match winner he is developing himself into for us, every time we throw the ball at him he’s got something up his sleeves, which is always nice and we need guys like these to stand up in big moments,” he added.

Rohit said India expect the pitch here at the Dubai International Stadium to remain slow for their next Champions Trophy clash against Pakistan on February 23.

“Very hard to say that,” Rohit replied when asked if his side thought the pitch behaved as per their expectations.

“It’s just one game, very hard to make anything out of the track, but we knew there’s not enough grass on the pitch and it is going to be on the slower side and that is exactly how the pitch played,” he said.

“But again, you play (according to) the conditions. You try and think about what you want to do as a team and I thought we adapted to the conditions really well, to start with our bowling.” India were off to a brisk start but were forced to change their approach midway through the innings and Rohit admitted his side was “under pressure” chasing 229.

“With the bat as well, yes, we were under pressure a little bit. But when you’re playing a game like this, (in the) Champions Trophy (against a) quality team, you’re bound to be under pressure and that is where the experience comes into play,” he said.

The Mumbaikar said he was not happy with the dropped catch of Jaker Ali (68) which denied Axar Patel a hat-trick.

“May take him for dinner tomorrow,” he quipped.

“It was an easy catch. I should have taken that catch, the standard that I have set for myself, standing in the first slip, that was a little disappointing, but these things happen,” Rohit added.

“But again, the way these guys bowled that set the game for us to be honest, I know they were 36 for five and then they got a big partnership.” “These things are bound to happen, there will be partnerships, credit to (Towhid) Hridoy and Jaker Ali, they played brilliantly to stitch that big partnership,” he said.

Gill termed his 101 not out as “one of the most satisfying innings” for himself “Definitely (it was) one of my most satisfying innings that I’ve played and my first century in an ICC event so very satisfying and very happy with the way I performed,” he said.

“When myself and Rohit bhai went out there, cutting the ball wasn’t that easy because the balls outside the off (stump) weren’t coming onto the bat. So I thought of using my feet to even the fast bowlers when I’m trying to go over the circle,” he said.

“When the when the spinners came on me and Virat bhai were talking about in the middle that it’s not easy to score signals off the front foot,” he added.

Gill said he was asked to finish off the match. “At one point there was a bit of pressure on us and the message was sent from outside (that) I have to try to be at the end and that’s what I tried to do,” he said.

Ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy campaign opener against South Africa, Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi said that the team faces no pressure against Proteas and is here to win the title. Afghanistan will kickstart their ICC Champions Trophy campaign against South Africa at February 21 at Karachi, followed by matches against England (February 26 at Lahore), and Australia (February 28 at Lahore). Speaking ahead of the match as quoted by ESPNCricinfo, Shahidi said that there is a lot of difference between Afghanistan from the year 2019 till now and they have defeated Proteas in an ODI series before the CT2025.

“Because right now we are focusing what we can do in this tournament and I believe that our team is more ready for this tournament and we are focusing on our own team. There is no pressure on us,” he added.

Afghanistan is missing their teenage mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar due to injury, but they still have enough weaponry in form of Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Nabi and Nangeylia Kharote. They will also be enjoying a lot of fan support in Karachi.

“First of all, about people here – there are a lot of Afghans. They live here in Karachi and in Pakistan and also a lot of Pashtun people, I think, they support us. So yeah, yesterday there was a lot of crowds shouting for us [during training], and it feels good, and it gives us confidence that we have supporters here and about our performance,” he added.

This will be Shahidi-led Afghanistan’s first Champions Trophy appearance and the captain made it clear they are here to win the title. They have plenty to draw experience from, their sixth spot finish in the 50-over World Cup with four wins and five losses and a semifinal run in the T20 World Cup last year, which saw them beat Test nations like England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia.

“We are doing very good and, in this tournament, we are here to compete and our aim is to win the final. We are not here just to participate here in this tournament. We are definitely 100 per cent looking to win this event and at the same time because we played a lot of quality cricket from last two years and it is a good chance for us because the boys are very experienced and these conditions are also suitable for us. So we have a good chance and let us start it from tomorrow. Hopefully, we start with the win and we go with the same momentum throughout the tournament,” he added.

Despite having secured a full-member status in June 2017, Afghanistan has not had any dedicated home venue and have played their home matches at UAE, Dehradun, Lucknow and Greater Noida. Shahidi also talked about cricketing facilities and domestic cricket in Afghanistan, expressing hope to play international cricket in Afghanistan in future.

“I have answered this in Pashto but let me say it again because in media I heard a lot from other countries that they [Afghanistan] do not have facilities, they do not have stadiums, they do not have academies. It is totally wrong,” Shahidi said.

We have good facilities. We have cricket academies. We have a High Performance Centre in Kabul and Jalalabad, and also, we have stadiums in every zone of Afghanistan. So, we have the facilities to call a team to come to Afghanistan but in our country there were some security issues that is why other countries are not coming but hopefully soon, as soon as possible, one of the countries will come to Afghanistan and you will see the crowd also.”

“When we play domestic cricket, it is fully packed. Even people wait outside the stadium and try to come and watch the domestic game, like more than 50,000, 40,000 or 30,000 people coming for the finals of an event. I know that if any team come to Afghanistan, there will be like thousands of people, fans come and arrive to the stadium because there is a lot of craze for cricket. There are a lot of people who love cricket. So hopefully that day comes and hopefully it comes soon,” he concluded.

Afghanistan squad for ICC Champions Trophy: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), 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. Reserves: Darwish Rasooli, Bilal Sami.

File photo of Pakistan cricket team.© AFP

Will Young and Tom Latham struck fine hundreds as New Zealand maintained their recent dominance over hosts Pakistan with an emphatic 60-run win in the Champions Trophy opener in Karachi on Wednesday. Young compiled an important innings of 107 off 113 balls, while Latham remained unbeaten on 118 off 104 balls to steer the Black Caps to 320 for five after Pakistan put them in to bat. Glenn Phillips’ 39-ball 61 also went a long way in the Kiwis getting past the 300-run mark as New Zealand overcame a shaky start.

The Pakistan top-order comprising Babar Azam (64 off 90), Mohammed Rizwan (3 off 14) and Saud Shakeel (6 off 19) were a tad too conservative in their approach. That ultimately cost the home team as it ended with 260 all out in 47.2 overs.

Fakhar Zaman (24 off 41) batted at number four after being off the field for a major part of the New Zealand innings due to an injury scare.

It was New Zealand’s third win over Pakistan in less than two weeks, the Kiwis having beaten the Rizwan-led side twice in the preceding tri-series.

The sole positive for defending champions Pakistan ahead of their clash against India was the performance of the lower-order with Khushdil Shah smashing 69 off 49 balls. Salman Agha also showed plenty of intent in his 42 off 28 balls but that urgency was missing in the approach of the top-order.

New Zealand pacers as well as spinners bowled with accuracy, not allowing the opposition batters to get away. The efforts of pacer William O’Rourke (3/47) and Mitchell Santer (3/66) stood out with the ball.

Earlier, Young struck 12 fours and a six, while Latham batted through the innings to strike 10 boundaries and three maximums as New Zealand posted a challenging total.

Young played anchor after Pakistan elected to field first and had New Zealand reeling at 40 for two and then 73 for three in the 17th over.

Young fast bowler Naseem Shah got the prized wicket of Kane Williamson who was caught behind for a single digit score for the first time in his last 35 ODI outings.

Making a comeback to the team after an injury that had kept him out of the recently-held tri-series, Haris Rauf had Daryl Mitchell mistiming a pull shot to leave the visitors in trouble.

Opener Devon Conway was the first wicket to fall on a pitch which clearly had some grip in it for the spinners, as Abrar Ahmed, brought in the eighth over, used a carom ball to beat the southpaw.

With three wickets gone with not many runs on the board, Young, who was playing only because of an injury to Rachin Ravindra, steadied the ship in partnership with Latham as they put on 118 runs for the fourth wicket.

Pakistan, depending on one specialist spinner, three pace bowlers, and two part-time spinners in Khushdil and Agha, just didn’t have the penetration to break the partnership.

After Young fell while looking to open up after sweeping his way to his fourth one-day hundred, Latham and Phillips went after the Pakistan bowling in the final 10 overs.

Latham, who scored his eighth ODI hundred, and Phillips walloped Abrar and Haris for 32 runs in the 44th and 45th overs. In the 47th over, Shaheen Shah Afridi was smashed for 18 runs.

Phillips, who fell in the final over to Haris while trying a reverse scoop shot, did the maximum damage with four sixes and three fours.

Rauf was the most expensive bowler, conceding 83 runs in his 10 overs for two wickets.

Before start of play, President Asif Zardari opened the tournament and was introduced to both teams by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi and ICC officials.

The crowd turnout at the start of the match was not as high as anticipated but as the weather improved, the stadium was getting packed with spectators eager to watch a major ICC event in the country for the first time since 1996.

New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra will miss the ICC Champions Trophy opener between the Kiwis and Pakistan at Karachi as he is still yet to recover from a forehead injury sustained during the tri-nation series’ first ODI against the same opponents at the same venue days back. Ravindra’s unfortunate injury occurred in the 38th over of the second innings of the February 8 tri-series final. While going for a catch off Michael Bracewell, he lost sight of the ball due to floodlights and took a heavy blow to his face. He was taken off the pitch after he started to bleed. He did not return for any further action.

The following day, Rachin received stitches for his wound, as revealed by New Zealand Cricket (NZC). He was further monitored under HIA (Head Injury Assessment) protocols, which kept him out of the remainder of the series.

NZ head coach Gary Stead, quoted by Wisden, said ahead of the tri-nation series final, “He has had a headache for a few days, but that is subsiding, which is really good news. He hit a few balls tonight for the first time, which is good. But there are still a few more steps for him to go through before he will be considered fit for play.”

During the toss for the CT opener at Karachi, NZ skipper Mitchel Santner confirmed that the youngster was not yet ready for his on-field return. Rachin is in a solid nick, scoring 203 runs in the last seven matches at an average of 29.00, with a fifty). His spot was taken by batter Will Young.

Pakistan skipper Mohammed Rizwan won the toss and elected to field first against NZ.

Playing XIs:

Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Salman Ali Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.

New Zealand: Will Young, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke.

England’s quest for their maiden ICC Men’s Champions Trophy title carries the weight of past performances and high expectations across the years. Having conquered both the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the Champions Trophy remains the only white-ball title missing from their cabinet. Twice before, in 2004 under Michael Vaughan and in 2013 under Alastair Cook, England came agonisingly close, only to falter at the final hurdle against India. Now, as they prepare for the 2025 edition, a full-strength squad, a renewed tactical approach, and the aggressive philosophy of new white-ball head coach Brendon McCullum offer a fresh shot at redemption.

Strength: England’s strength lies in their formidable batting unit, one that has defined their white-ball dominance over the past decade. The team has been the fastest-scoring ODI side since the 2023 World Cup, scoring at 6.02 runs per over. The presence of Jos Buttler, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Phil Salt and Ben Duckett ensures that England can take the attack to any opposition.

Root’s adaptability and experience make him a crucial figure, particularly in Pakistani conditions where spin is expected to play a key role. Alongside Buttler’s explosiveness and Brook’s fearless approach, England’s batting line-up is built to dictate terms, balancing aggression with the ability to stabilise when needed.

Weakness: However, England’s lead-up to the tournament has been far from ideal. They have won only four of the thirteen ODIs played since the 2023 World Cup and have suffered four consecutive series defeats. This slump has raised concerns about their ability to perform under pressure in a major tournament.

The inconsistency stems largely from an unsettled squad, with key players missing various assignments due to injuries, rest periods, and franchise cricket commitments. Jos Buttler, their full-time captain, has featured in just six ODIs since the World Cup, and the lack of continuity has disrupted their rhythm.

Adding to their worries is the lack of depth in the spin department. With Moeen Ali retired, the burden falls solely on Adil Rashid, England’s most successful ODI spinner. Rashid remains a world-class bowler, but at 36, questions remain over whether he can shoulder the responsibility alone across an entire tournament. His form will be crucial, particularly in the middle overs, where England have often struggled to contain scoring rates.

Joe Root and Liam Livingstone are England’s only other viable spin options, but neither offers the same level of control or wicket-taking threat. This deficiency could prove costly on subcontinental pitches that often aid slow bowlers.

Opportunity: The bowling attack, however, carries immense firepower in the pace department. Jofra Archer’s return, alongside the likes of Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Saqib Mahmood, provides England with a varied and menacing arsenal. Each of these pacers brings a different strength – Archer’s raw pace and accuracy, Wood’s express speed, Atkinson’s skiddy bounce, and Carse’s versatility as a seam-bowling all-rounder.

If these quicks find a rhythm, they can trouble the best batting line-ups. Yet, England’s biggest concern remains their bowling economy. Since the 2023 World Cup, they have conceded 6.41 runs per over on average, the worst among all teams in this period. This vulnerability was evident in their recent ODI series defeats against India (3-0), where opposition batters capitalised on England’s lack of control in the middle overs.

The absence of Ben Stokes and Sam Curran further complicates matters. Stokes, England’s talisman in high-pressure situations, has opted out to focus on his Test career, leaving a void in both leadership and middle-order stability. Curran, on the other hand, has seen his stock fall due to inconsistent performances with the ball, leading to his omission. Their absences mean England lack a left-handed middle-order batter, which could affect their flexibility against match-ups, and a left-arm seamer, limiting the variety in their attack. Jamie Overton and Brydon Carse will have to step up as seam-bowling all-rounders to fill the void left by Stokes and Curran.

Threat: Despite these challenges, the Champions Trophy presents England with a golden opportunity to rewrite history. It offers them the chance to overcome their spin vulnerabilities, refine their bowling execution, and embrace McCullum’s aggressive brand of cricket.

The “Bazball” philosophy, which revolutionised England’s Test cricket, is expected to make its way into their white-ball setup, encouraging fearless cricket even in challenging conditions. If executed well, this approach could unsettle opposition teams and give England the edge in close encounters.

England’s campaign for their maiden Champions Trophy title will kick off on February 22, against Australia in Lahore. Then they will face Afghanistan on February 26 at the same venue and in the last league match they will face South Africa in Karachi on March 1.

England squad: Jos Buttler (c), 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.

File image of Haris Rauf.© AFP

File photo of Indian cricket team.© BCCI

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 36-year-old Southee, who has 776 international wickets for New Zealand across three formats, was an integral part of his country’s team until his retirement in 2024. With Trent Boult also not there and Lockie Ferguson looking highly unlikely, it will be Will O’Rourke, Jacob Duffy, Nathan Smith and Matt Henry, who will share the pace-bowling load at the marquee ICC event.

“It’s something different not having Trent (Boult) and myself at an ICC event but, at the same time, it’s exciting. These events are great to be a part of and it’s in front of these guys now, I’m very excited to see how they go.

“The way the team has played, different guys have stepped up. It’s a good mix between some experienced guys and some exciting young guys with a lot of potential,” Southee was quoted as saying in a ICC press release.

“The experience of this Tri-Nation Series is only going to stand them in good stead for the tournament. So, taking some momentum into the tournament and being accustomed to those conditions, it’s only going to be a good thing,” Southee said.

Southee, who has 221 ODI wickets, feels O’Rourke has the potential to become the backbone of the New Zealand attack in the coming days.

“Will O’Rourke, in the Test game we’ve seen what he can do. He’s still so young but he’s got all the attributes that are going to set him up to have a lot of success in international cricket. I’m looking forward to watching him in his first ICC event.

“Will is a man of few words but certainly listens and wants to get better. We know he’s got the pace and bounce, he’s got great skills. He just keeps growing, we’ve seen that in the Test game and he’s continued to get better.

“His game is far from finished but I’m sure he’ll be a massive asset to New Zealand cricket across all three formats for a long time to come.” He also reserved some praise for Nathan Smith.

“Nathan Smith has a real confidence about him, and believes in himself which I think you need at this level.” He is also happy that veteran Kane Williamson is in fine nick, which will boost New Zealand’s chances.

“Kane is in good form, it’s nice to see him with a couple of scores, he’s obviously class. He’s not played a lot of one-day cricket for the last few years but to see him come back and have two significant contributions is what we’re used to seeing.

“But it’s also pleasing for me now as a fan of the Black Caps. When he (Williamson) is in the middle, it comes with experience and the way he plays, he just looks in control the whole time.”

Backbone of New Zealand batting

Williamson, Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips form the backbone of New Zealand batting and Southee believes that the five are better judges of how to pace their innings in 50-over format.

“That is what sets those four or five batters apart from the rest. They are able to sum up conditions, sum up moments in games and more times than not, they come out on the right side of things. He (Williamson) brings a calmness to the group.” He praised left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner’s leadership skills.

“Mitch has done a great job as captain. It’s still reasonably new to him but I experienced a bit of his captaincy towards the end of my career. He’s very calm, you see that in the way he plays his cricket.

“He thinks about the game well and I think he looks to lead with his performances across all three areas. He’s one of best fielders, an unbelievably skilful bowler and a more-than-useful batter. So, I’m sure he’ll be looking to lead in all those three areas.” So, can New Zealand go all the way and follow in the footsteps of the 2000 vintage? Southee certainly thinks so.

“If you look at the track record of New Zealand in ICC events, they are always there or thereabouts. In a tournament like the Champions Trophy, if you get on a bit of a roll, anything can happen. I’d love to see the Black Caps there and hopefully lifting the trophy at the end.” 

England suffered an embarrassing 3-0 ODI series defeat and 4-1 T20I series defeat at the hands of India in their recently-concluded tour, and legendary India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has launched a scathing criticism on them. In particular, Ashwin expressed disappointment at how lightly England seemingly took the series, and also emphasized his disapproval of excuses used by England following their defeats. In particular, England opener Ben Duckett came under the hammer from Ashwin after he’d said that they don’t mind losing the series 3-0 as long as England beat India in the Champions Trophy.

“If we lose 3-0 to India, I don’t care as long as we beat them in the final in the Champions Trophy. No one will probably look back on this series if we go and do the business in that competition,” Duckett had said after the 3-0 ODI series defeat.

Ashwin sharply responded to Duckett’s statements.

“No matter what Ben Duckett says, going into the Champions Trophy this series loss will create a big dent to their confidence,” Ashwin said, speaking on his YouTube channel.

“Ben Duckett has said similar things in the past too, saying Yashasvi Jaiswal has learnt to play aggressive cricket from England’s Bazball style. I know Ben Duckett and his penchant for humour, but this was no joke and it is like you are hiding your failures behind humour,” Ashwin added.

Ashwin also criticized the fact that England players seem to look for excuses after a series defeat. He also stated that the England team has been in a slump for a fair while now.

“Your 2023 ODI World Cup was pretty bad as well. It isn’t like they are in bad form over 2-3 months. It has been the case for four years now. Despite having such a talented group they are not able to justify their potential,” Ashwin stated.

“Even in Test cricket, I read somewhere a few days ago that Ben Stokes said that he doesn’t understand the points system of the WTC. My only advice to him is that if you don’t understand the points system, then first go and understand it. This is not a joke. Every time you lose, you bring up such lame excuses,” Ashwin said.

England will face Australia, South Africa and Afghanistan in what is expected to be a closely-fought group in the Champions Trophy 2025. England finished behind all three nations at the 2023 World Cup.