Champions Trophy cricket: All you need to know

9:23 am today

Pakistan cricket fans. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The Champions Trophy is being revived after eight years with holders and hosts Pakistan playing New Zealand in the opening game of the ninth edition on Wednesday.

The one-day international competition was initially scrapped by cricket's global governing body who wanted only one major tournament in each of the sport's three international formats, and prioritised the 50-over ODI World Cup.

The ICC revived the tournament in November 2021, scheduling the next edition for 2025. With politically estranged rivals India and Pakistan deciding not to visit each other for ICC tournaments, India will play their matches at a neutral venue: in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.

The top seven teams from the 2023 World Cup qualified for the tournament, along with hosts Pakistan. The teams are split into two groups, with the top two sides from each group advancing to the semi-finals.

The squads of all eight teams, groups and fixtures are as follows:

Champions Trophy groups

Group A: Pakistan (hosts), India, New Zealand, Bangladesh

Group B: Australia, England, South Africa, Afghanistan

Squads

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi

Coach: Aaqib Javed (interim)

Best performance: Champions (2017)

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy

Coach: Gautam Gambhir

Best performance: Champions (2002, 2013)

Bangladesh: Nazmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossai Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana

Coach: Phil Simmons

Best performance: Semi-finals (2017)

New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O'Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Jacob Duffy, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young

Coach: Gary Stead

Best performance: Champions (2000)

Revisiting the Black Caps' Champions Trophy triumph

Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), 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

Coach: Jonathan Trott

Best performance: Debutants (2025)

England: Jos Buttler (captain), 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

Coach: Brendon McCullum

Best performance: Runners-up (2004, 2013)

Australia: Steve Smith (captain), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa

Coach: Andrew McDonald

Best performance: Champions (2006, 2009)

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Corbin Bosch

Coach: Rob Walter

Best performance: Champions (1998)