‘Quality Of Players In Both…’: Ravi Shastri, Ricky Ponting Pick These Two Teams As Finalists For Champions Trophy 2025
Ricky Ponting and Ravi Shastri have named two firm contenders for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final. The much-awaited ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be played from February 19 in Pakistan and the UAE.
The eight teams are divided into two groups for the opening stage of Champions Trophy. Each team will play three group-stage matches, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi-finals.
Ahead of the start of the tournament, former India and Australia captain Ricky Ponting and Ravi Shastri has predicted that India and Australia will fight out the final based on their recent success in big tournaments and star-studded lineups.
Speaking to Sanjana Ganesan in a bumper episode of The ICC Review, the duo predicted India and Australia will fight out the final, based on their recent success in big tournaments and star-studded lineups.
While Shastri named England and South Africa as the other semi-finals prospects, the former India head coach tipped the 2023 Cricket World Cup finalists to go all the way in the 2025 Champions Trophy. Ponting agreed with Shastri.
“It’s hard to go past India and Australia again,” Ponting told The ICC Review.
“Just think about the quality of players in both countries right now, and you look back in recent history when these big finals and big ICC events have come around and inevitably Australia and India are there somewhere,” he added.
Notably, India and Australia are the two most successful sides in the Champions Trophy history, having won it twice each in 2002, 2013 and 2006, 2009 respectively. They will be looking to add another ICC honour to their ever-growing list of accolades in the upcoming edition of the tournament.
India and Australia also played out the ICC World Test Championship and the 2023 ODI World Cup, where the side from Down Under emerged victorious on both occasions.
However, former Australia skipper believes that hosts Pakistan can pose a strong challenge to the two teams.
“The other team that is playing some really good cricket at the moment is Pakistan. Their one-day cricket over the last little bit has been absolutely outstanding,” said Ponting.
“We know they’re not always the most predictable team in those big tournaments, but they seem like they’ve sorted things out a little bit,” he added.
Pakistan, who will be led by Mohammad Rizwan in the Champions Trophy, are coming into 2025 on the back of ODI series wins in Australia and South Africa.
The Champions Trophy will kickstart on February 19 in Karachi with the hosts Pakistan playing New Zealand in the opening fixture.
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