CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2025: CAN THE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS DO IT ON THEIR HOME SOIL?

The Champions Trophy 2025 is just around the corner, and all eyes are set on Pakistan, who stand as the defending champions. This tournament—set to begin on February 19, 2025—holds further significance as it is being held in Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Lahore due to Pakistan being awarded the hosting rights, as per the hosts-cycle. Indeed, it is a dream come true for the cricket freaks in Pakistan who grew up having to miss out on watching such international tournaments on home ground due to unfortunate circumstances. It is important to know that Pakistan is set to host its first international cricket tournament after a long hiatus—spanning over 28 years. Moreover, this year’s Champions Trophy is special, as previously, the International Cricket Council had announced the discontinuation of this cricket mega-event after the 2017 edition in England and Wales.

However, the decision was rolled back in 2021, and the tournament will be held quadrennially from 2025. Hence, there is a lot to look forward to, not only for the Pakistan cricket fans but also for the cricket enthusiasts all over the world.

A LITTLE PEEP INTO THE BACKGROUND OF CHAMPIONS TROPHY

The Champions Trophy, as we know it today, was slightly different in the past. Inaugurated in 1998, this unique One-Day International tournament was initially known as the ICC KnockOut Trophy, set to be held every two years. Furthermore, this short cricket tournament was introduced as a means to collect funds for the development of cricket in the non-test playing countries. It was renamed the ICC Champions Trophy in the year 2002 and was organized as a quadrennial tournament from the year 2009. The present format involves the qualification of teams on the basis of their performance in the preceding Cricket World Cup. The top-performing teams, along with the host nation, are selected to play one another in the form of two groups, having a knockout stage at the end. The winners from both the groups play a semi-final with each other, leading up to the final.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS?

After the discussion about the tournament being held on the Pakistani home ground, the question arises: what should the Pakistan cricket fans expect from their team, which is going to defend the title after 8 years? The nation is still not over the astonishing victory in the last edition of the Champions Trophy. They reminisce about the electrifying performance of the players who turned into one unit in order to win that trophy. That brilliant combination of the seniors, juniors, and newcomers in that squad proved lethal for the opponents, and the Pakistan Cricket Team rose from the ashes, quite literally, as they rose from the 8th rank in the world ODI rankings to secure the 5th spot after their blazing victory in the tournament. Nobody will forget the elated and overjoyed feeling of defeating the archrivals, and that too, by completely dominating them in the final. The way the players were received after landing in Pakistan is to be written in the history of cricket, as that unexpected victory united the entire nation after a long time.

Ironically, it has become a known fact in the world of cricket that Pakistan is the most unpredictable team, which leaves no opportunity to surprise or shock the spectators with its underdog nature. This reminds me of the famous quote by English commentator Nasser Hussain during the Champions Trophy 2017’s final, when he said,

“Pakistan cricket at its best; one minute down, next minute up.”

This sums up the predictably unpredictable nature of the Pakistan cricket team. It is important to note that there are only three players from the 2017 squad who have been able to make it this time, with Babar Azam being the player with the highest expectations tied to him throughout the tournament. Nonetheless, the cricket experts and fans in general are skeptical about the team’s overall performance given the unmeritorious selection of players, with some being the least expected ones to make it to the CT’25 squad. This further points at the Pakistan Cricket Board’s usual custom of neglecting the deserving players who prove their mettle in domestic cricket and choosing the ones who are out of form. Nonetheless, being Pakistanis and cricket enthusiasts, the fans will have to make peace with the selected lot and encourage them to play well on the home ground.

INDIAN CRICKET BOARD’S NEVER-ENDING TANTRUMS

It is impossible to separate cricket from the Indo-Pak rivalry; fans from both sides of the border always look forward to such clashes in high-stakes matches. It is quite unfortunate that political influence in sports is the sole reason that both nations are deprived of any bilateral series after 2012. Thus, whenever the two sides meet in a global tournament, the face-off is said to be “high-voltage,” attracting spectators from all over the world. The Final of the Champions Trophy 2017, between India and Pakistan, is estimated to have been watched by over 400 million people across the world, making it the third most-watched match in the history of cricket. Such is the popularity of the Indo-Pak face-off in the world of cricket.

Fans in both countries were vehemently looking forward to witnessing history as the Indian team was expected to travel to Pakistan for the first time since 2008. However, this dream could not be fulfilled due to the much-anticipated interference by the BCCI, or the Indian Cricket Board. The board’s never-ending tantrums have already proven disastrous for the cricket fans on both sides of the border as India opted to play the Asia Cup 2023, which was being hosted by Pakistan, in Sri Lanka, that ended up ruining the tournament due to the heavy rains there. As absurd as it may sound, that disturbance in the Asia Cup also marked the beginning of the downfall of the Pakistan Cricket Team in the ODI format.

Yet again, the BCCI has not left a stone unturned in dividing the Champions Trophy 2025 into two venues: Pakistan and the neutral ground, UAE. The Indian Cricket Board fails to understand the detrimental effects of politicizing the sport that is known as the gentleman’s game. Moving the tournament out of Pakistan was not enough for the BCCI, so the news came out that Pakistan’s name might not be included in the Indian team’s jersey logo. If true, such an adamant attitude of one of the richest cricket boards in the world is unprofessional and contrary to the spirit of cricket.

In a nutshell, the Champions Trophy 2025 is a great opportunity for the Pakistani team to regain its lost glory and restore the faith of Pakistanis who had lost any interest in supporting the team after its humiliating performance in the T20 World Cup 2024. It remains to be seen if the players will give it their all to defend the trophy for their nation or prove themselves to be a lost cause, much like the recent ICC tournaments.