Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has named his three favourites to win the Champions Trophy.
After almost a decade away, the ICC Champions Trophy returns for its ninth edition this week.
Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates hosts the eight-team 50-over tournament involving Pakistan, India, New Zealand and Bangladesh in Group A and South Africa, England, Afghanistan and Australia in Group B.
Each team will play three group games and the top two from each group will advance to the semi-finals. The final takes place on Sunday, 9 March but the venue is yet to be confirmed.
Pakistan won the last Champions Trophy back in 2017, beating arch-rivals India in the final at The Oval in south London.
Six other nations have won the tournament – South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, Australia and India. India and Sri Lanka were declared co-champions in 2002 after successive finals were washed out.
Australia won the last 50-over World Cup at the end of 2023, beating India in a one-sided final, and Ponting believes there could be a rematch in the Champions Trophy final.
‘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.
‘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.
‘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.’
Australia’s preparations for the Champions Trophy have been hampered by a series of injury blows that has ruled Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood out of the tournament.
India’s prep has gone much more smoothly, with Rohit Sharma’s side thumping England 3-0 in a one-sided ODI series ahead of the Champions Trophy.
It was that display from India’s gun white-ball cricketers that convinced Shikhar Dhawan that the trophy was heading back to India.
‘I can’t look past India. I am quite confident,’ the former opening batter told the ICC.
‘They have a solid team and played very well against England in their recent ODI series.
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‘The obvious concern is that they will miss Jasprit Bumrah. There is no doubt he will be a big absence and I think they will feel it very strongly.
‘For me, he is the best bowler in the world, and his accuracy is hard to replicate. He is also a very calm character and that is crucial in a huge ICC event like this.
‘But there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic for India. They have a very balanced side, especially with the bat, with a nice blend of experience and youth.’
The 2025 Champions Trophy begins on Wednesday with co-hosts Pakistan taking on New Zealand in Karachi.
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