Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting (proper) throughout an interview and Naseem Shah (left) celebrates together with his teammate after taking a wicket. — YouTube/ICC/AFP/ File
LAHORE: Australian nice Ricky Ponting has stated that the Pakistan staff is a powerful contender to make it to the ultimate of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Talking to journalist Sanjana Ganesan alongside Ravi Shastri in a bumper episode of The ICC Evaluate on Saturday, the 2 cricket greats predicted that India and Australia are the 2 agency contenders for this yr’s Champions Trophy however Ponting believes “there is another contender in the mix”.
He thinks hosts Pakistan can pose a powerful problem to the 2 groups.
The previous Australia skipper, as quoted by the ICC web site, stated the opposite staff that’s taking part in some actually good cricket for the time being is Pakistan.
“Their one-day cricket over the last little bit has been absolutely outstanding,” stated 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.”
The ICC provides: the Inexperienced Shirts, led by Mohammad Rizwan, are coming into 2025 on the again of ODI sequence wins in Australia and South Africa.
Within the earlier version of the Champions Trophy, a younger Pakistan facet, led by the skilled Sarfaraz Ahmed and a scorching hundred within the ultimate from Fakhar Zaman, mixed with a blistering bowling present, pulled off the job on the Oval, and the hosts will probably be trying to repeat their heroics.
The aspect of defending champions may even present some additional vitality to the house facet, who beat India to their maiden crown within the 2017 version. The 2 sides will tussle it out but once more in a gaggle fixture in Dubai on February 23.
Nonetheless, Ponting and Shastri stated India and Australia will combat out the mega cricketing occasion’s ultimate.
“Based on their recent success in big tournaments and star-studded lineups, they will play the final,” the duo predicted.
Whereas Shastri named England and South Africa as the opposite semi-finals prospects, the previous India head coach tipped the 2023 Cricket World Cup finalists to go all the best way within the eight-team match.
“It’s hard to go past India and Australia again,” Ponting instructed The ICC Evaluate.
“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.”
India and Australia, the 2 most profitable sides within the match, having received it twice every in 2002, 2013 and 2006, 2009 respectively, will probably be wanting so as to add one other ICC honour to their ever-growing listing of accolades.
The 2 gigantic cricketing nations additionally performed out the ICC World Check Championship and the ICC Males’s Cricket World Cup in 2023, the place the facet from Down Beneath emerged victorious on each events.
The Champions Trophy 2025 will kick off on February 19 and can run till March 9.
Matches will probably be held throughout three venues in Pakistan — Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi — and in Dubai, that includes 15 thrilling encounters between the eight taking part groups.
