Fans can expect a wide open tournament in the absence of an overwhelming favourite in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy.
According to sources aware of developments in the Board, a few players are contemplating if they should travel to New Zealand.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner praised centurions Will Young and Tom Latham for their crucial contributions in the team's emphatic 60-run victory over Pakistan in the Champions Trophy opener.
'As players, you need to stay calm, try and block that noise out, and just play with the same intensity as you would play Australia or any other team.'
South Africa join Australia, India and New Zealand in the semi-finals but who their opponents will be, and where they will play next, will be answered on Sunday when the latter two clash in Dubai.
With the top two teams in each pool advancing to the semi-finals, the victor of Tuesday's clash in Rawalpindi will have one foot in the knockout rounds.
An Indian woman who was living in Pakistan for the last 22 years after being fraudulently brought here by a travel agent returned to her homeland via the Wagah Border on Monday, an official said.
Hina Munawar, a police officer with a strong background in security and operations, has been named as the first female team manager for the Pakistan men's cricket team ahead of the Champions Trophy.
Barely 11 days before their Champions Trophy opener against Pakistan, New Zealand's leading pace bowler Lockie Ferguson has been rendered doubtful for the ODI tournament after suffering a hamstring injury during an ILT20 match in the UAE.
Irfan Pathan believes India's white-ball team is 'settled' and backed the Rohit Sharma-led side to lift the upcoming Champions Trophy.
The full implications of the India's refusal to play Champions Trophy matches in Pakistan were laid bare on Sunday as Australia and South Africa waited to find out whether they will play their semi-finals in Lahore or Dubai this week.
As has been the case with ICC events, India and Pakistan have been clubbed in the same group which also has New Zealand and Bangladesh.
'They are in one place, they are in one hotel, there is no travel, they are in one dressing room. They know the pitch. When they selected they probably knew what Dubai was going to be like.'
Australia will be without their premier pacers but their envious pedigree in ICC tournaments make them favourites to progress to the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy from Group B.
Pakistan qualified for the 2025 Junior Hockey World Cup event after finishing runners-up in the Asia Cup held in Oman recently. They had lost the continental final to India 3-5.
The New Zealand all-rounder was left bloodied by the blow to his forehead after losing sight of the ball in the floodlights as he attempted a catch in the 38th over of Pakistan's innings.
Regular captain Pat Cummins, fellow quick Josh Hazlewood and all-rounder Mitch Marsh have been ruled out with injuries, while Marcus Stoinis withdrew himself after his shock decision to quit ODIs on Thursday.
Allowing India to play all their matches in Dubai robbed Pakistan of the honour of hosting the final and disrupted the schedule of the knockout matches.
Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam was conspicuous by his absence from the team's training and there was no clarity on his availability for the Champions Trophy clash against India in Dubai on Sunday, even as the country's cricket board chief Mohsin Naqvi urged the side to win "at any cost".
'Unfortunately, we tend to crack under pressure and lose close matches as we have seen in recent games.'
Six uncapped players named in South Africa ODI squad
'As far as my comeback (from injury) is concerned, I will hopefully return to competitive cricket in a month'
"The ICC (International Cricket Council) Champions Trophy 2025 is a culmination of those efforts," PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told Reuters.
'It was the hostility of the Yunus regime that made India careful and wary of dealing with them.' 'They gradually backed off and lowered the noise, but the damage was done.' 'Their true colours had been exposed.'
Mohammed Rizwan and PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday termed ICC's decision to hold the Champions Trophy in a hybrid model
He is the first Indian to achieve the feat of scoring a century in all three formats in international cricket at a single venue.
South Africa Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie said he supported calls for a boycott of Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan next month.
Bari said he is delighted to see the ICC Champions Trophy being held in Pakistan now and multiple teams landing in the country.
Featuring Hardik Pandya, Mohammad Nabi, Phil Salt, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi, the film showcases the immense stakes faced by players as they put everything on the line to claim the Champions Trophy and the unique White Jackets, the ICC said.
The Afghanistan team has chalked out plans for the entire Australian side and is not just focused on its bete noire Glenn Maxwell, said skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi on the eve of their must-win Champions Trophy match.
India vice-captain Shubman Gill dethroned Pakistan's Babar Azam from the No. 1 spot in the ICC ODI Rankings for batters on the back of his strong showing against England in the recent home series.
Pakistan and Bangladesh will face off in a dead rubber match in the Champions Trophy on Thursday, both teams looking to salvage some pride after disappointing tournament performances. Both teams have suffered heavy defeats to New Zealand.
South African captain Temba Bavuma has said that the ICC Champions Trophy is a bigger challenge than the 50-over World Cup because the lesser number of matches makes it tough for teams to make a comeback.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes South Africa has a slight edge over New Zealand in their Champions Trophy semifinal clash.
As the battle for semi-final berths intensifies in Group B, top-ranked South Africa will aim to assert their dominance and secure a spot in the final four when they face a struggling England in a high-stakes Champions Trophy clash in Karachi on Saturday.
'When so many young Baloch men and women are willingly volunteering as fighters and even suicide bombers.'
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes Virat Kohli needs to relax and not overthink his form ahead of India's crucial Champions Trophy clash against Pakistan.
The opening ceremony of the Champions Trophy will be held either on February 16 or 17 and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is confident that India captain Rohit Sharma will be in attendance at the event.
'Pakistan can beat any team on any given day'
'I think any experience in the sub-continent is valuable.'
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances