Champions Trophy

The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is finally here today – at least most of it. All of the games that do not involve India will be played here in Pakistan, the official host, while the rest will be played in Dubai. A host nation being forced to endure such compromises is unprecedented and rather embarrassing, particularly when the so-called ‘security issues’ brought up by India appear to be a smokescreen for wanting to score political points. This was not the only hiccup on the journey here. At one point, the Indian cricket board appeared to refuse to have the host nation’s name printed on their jerseys, something clearly against ICC regulations, though they seem to have relented on this point. Then there was the opening ceremony for the tournament, which took place on Sunday (February 16) in the newly renovated Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore even though the opening match is today in Karachi. All of the teams participating in the tournament were also conspicuously absent from said ceremony. Four of them were in Karachi, India and Bangladesh were in Dubai since that is where their match is going to be played, and the England and Australia teams are arriving late, with their game scheduled for this Saturday (February 22).

However, despite all these embarrassing moments, it must not be forgotten that this is the first major international cricket tournament to be played on home soil in over a decade. Regardless of the compromises made and hurdles cleared to get here, the fact that the tournament is here ought to be celebrated. An entire generation of Pakistani fans have grown up without knowing what a home tournament is like, nor have they had anything to fill the vacuum since cricket is our biggest and only major sport. It is thus hoped that this tournament will help revive interest in the sport and rejuvenate the local cricket scene. Pakistan aside, this is also a big moment for the cricketing world in general. This is the first edition of the ICC Champions Trophy to be played since 2017, when Pakistan crushed India in the final in England to claim the tournament. The one-day international (ODI) format has been in decline since the rise of T20 cricket, with more attention going to private T20 tournaments like the IPL and Pakistan’s own PSL. To see an ODI tournament back on the big stage is a big boost for the sport and national cricket.

The opening match will see the defending champions square off against New Zealand, a team that comfortably beat them just last week in the finals of the 2024-25 Pakistan Tri-Nation Series. If the boys in green play anything like they did in that game, this tournament will get off to a very disappointing start for local fans. Recent form aside, there are other signs that might dampen expectations about just how far this Pakistan team can go. Babar Azam, long the lynchpin of our batting order, has been out-of-form for some time now, a spell that coincided with him stepping away from the limited-overs captaincy. Things are not much better on the bowling front, with doubts about the fitness of Haris Rauf, arguably the team’s best ODI bowler. And while Pakistan has always relied on its bowling in big moments, the Tri-Nation Series proved that Pakistani pitches are rather batting-friendly. Compounding these issues is the fact that the previous head coach Gary Kirsten resigned back in October and has since been replaced by Aqib Javed, limiting the time Pakistan has had to put a solid plan in place for its biggest tournament in years. This country’s players usually do not do well under pressure and they are about to be under the greatest pressure of their lives, in a weakened state. Ultimately, the best thing about this tournament may well end up being what it does for Pakistan cricket off the pitch.