Champions Trophy contenders show mixed form in final tune-ups

LAHORE: As the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 approaches, recent warm-up tournaments have revealed varying levels of readiness among the participating nations, with New Zealand and India emerging as particularly strong contenders.

The Blackcaps demonstrated impressive form in the Tri-Nation Series, securing three consecutive victories including a final win against hosts Pakistan. Kane Williamson led from the front with a century against South Africa and a fifty versus Pakistan, while Glenn Phillips contributed a blazing 106 off 74 balls.

Pakistan, despite losing the final, showed batting prowess through Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha, who both scored centuries in their victory over South Africa. The Proteas unveiled a new talent in Matthew Breetzke, who announced himself with scores of 150 and 83 in his first international outings.

India, the T20 World Champions, continued their dominant form by first claiming a 4-1 T20 series victory over England before completing a clean sweep in the ODI series. Shubman Gill emerged as the standout performer with 259 runs at 86.33, including a century.

Rohit Sharma’s century in the second ODI and Ravindra Jadeja’s exceptional bowling (six wickets at an economy of 3.21) highlighted India’s all-round strength. Afghanistan has shown promise in recent months, securing series victories in Zimbabwe and against Bangladesh in Sharjah.

However, Bangladesh’s preparation has been hampered by consecutive series losses to Afghanistan and the West Indies. Australia’s Champions Trophy preparations hit a snag with a 2-0 ODI series loss to Sri Lanka, though their bowling unit, featuring Spencer Johnson and Aaron Hardie, showed promise despite batting struggles.