ICC Champions Trophy draw – and why you should never write off Australia

The Australian’s subcontinent cricket expert rates the chances of all eight sides in the ODI showpiece tournament, with Australia to offer a glimpse at the future.

GROUP A

Bangladesh

Coach Phil Simmons

Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto

Trophy Best Semi-finals 2017

Squad Nazmul Hossain Shanto (c), 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

Games v India (Thu, Feb 20 Dubai), v NZ (Mon, Feb 24 Rawalpindi), v Pakistan (Thu, Feb 27, Rawalpindi)

BHARAT SAYS

Reached the semi-finals of the most recent Champions Trophy eight years ago. That was also the last time they probably looked like a team good enough to make an impression at this level. For once, they’ll not have Shakib Al Hasan in their ranks, but they’ve largely been found out with regards to keeping up with the ultra-aggressive approach to ODIs globally. It’s if anything a pity that it’s them and not arch rivals Sri Lanka, the most in-form 50-over team in the world, posing a challenge to the likes of India, Pakistan and New Zealand this time around.

India

Coach Gautam Gambhir

Captain Rohit Sharma

Trophy Best Champions 2002, 2013

Squad Rohit Sharma (c), 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

Games v Bangladesh (Thu, Feb 20, Dubai), v Pakistan (Sun, Feb 23, Dubai), v NZ (Sun, Mar 2, Dubai)

BHARAT SAYS

Despite not being the official hosts of the Champions Trophy, India kind of are. They’re the only team in the tournament who are guaranteed to play all their matches in the same country and on the same ground – in Dubai. They’re also the most feared batting group in ODIs now and are forever in the quest for an elusive trophy in this format, which they last won in 2013.

This despite them having won 17 of their past 20 matches in 50-over ICC events since the last Champions Trophy final in 2017. India will be without Jasprit Bumrah, which like former coach Ravi Shastri put it, automatically means at least 30 extra runs for the opposition – and possibly a 30 per cent better chance to beat them.

New Zealand

Coach Gary Stead

Captain Mitchell Santner

Trophy Best Champions 2000

Squad Mitchell Santner (c), 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

Games v Pakistan (Tonight, Karachi), v Bangladesh (Mon, Feb 24, Rawalpindi), v India (Sun, Mar 2, Dubai)

BHARAT SAYS

The Kiwis have a lot going for them this time around, having gone unbeaten while winning the tri-series in Pakistan last week under new captain Mitchell Santner. Kane Williamson is scoring centuries for fun while they’re finding heroes in every corner and will not be overawed with being in a group with three Asian teams in Asian conditions, having got a great chance to acclimatise to them over the past few weeks. They are serial semi-finalists and have also in recent years made a habit of getting into finals, only to then not get over the line.

Pakistan

Coach Aaqib Javed

Captain Mohammad Rizwan

Trophy Best Champions 2017

Squad Mohammad Rizwan (c), 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

Games v NZ (Tonight, Karachi), v India (Sun, Feb 23, Dubai), v Bangladesh (Thu, Feb 27, Rawalpindi)

BHARAT SAYS

Should have the home advantage in a tournament they’re hosting. They do and they don’t, considering Mohammad Rizwan and his team will get on a two-hour flight to Dubai to play the biggest match of the tournament, against India, in the league stages. And also not have any control over getting to host the grand final even if they make it, which also will remain dependent on India’s progress. Pakistan have been better away from home since the last World Cup, where they were woeful, and for once look more promising with bat than the ball.

GROUP B

Afghanistan

Coach Jonathan Trott

Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi

Trophy Best Debut

Squad Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), 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

Games v South Africa (Fri, Feb 21, Karachi), v England (Wed, Feb 26, Lahore), v Australia (Fri, Feb 28, Lahore)

BHARAT SAYS

It’s a little unfair that Afghanistan aren’t being spoken of more as being the frontrunners for the title when you consider that they’ve the best record in ODIs in the past two years. They narrowly missed out on a semi-final spot in India in 2023, courtesy Glenn Maxwell’s freakish genius, and have from that point on become even more consistent. They have the perfect blend of experience and exuberance, from 40-year-old Mohammad Nabi down to a couple of teenagers, and also the ICC ODI cricketer of 2024 in Azmatullah Omarzai. They also play a lot of white-ball cricket in these conditions and could well have Australia and England in their sights.

Australia

Coach Andrew McDonald

Captain Steve Smith

Trophy Best Champions 2006, 2009

Squad Steve Smith (c), 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

Games v England (Sat, Feb 22, Lahore), v South Africa (Tue, Feb 25, Rawalpindi), v Afghanistan (Fri, Feb 28, Lahore)

BHARAT SAYS

How do you not start as favourites for a tournament despite being the world champions of that particular sporting format? Well, it’s a telling marker of the ambiguity around 50-over cricket and where it fits into the current ecosystem, alongside an Australian squad decimated due to injuries and a late retirement. Not to forget some ordinary performances of late in the lead-up to this event. This will be Australia’s first time in an ICC event without Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood in more than a decade but it will offer a glimpse towards the future, for both this team and ODI cricket as a whole.

England

Coach Brendon McCullum

Captain Jos Buttler

Trophy Best Runners-up 2004, 2013

Squad Jos Buttler (c), 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

Games v Australia (Sat, Feb 22, Lahore), v Afghanistan (Wed, Feb 26, Lahore), v South Africa (Sat, Mar 1, Karachi)

BHARAT SAYS

There will be as much focus on the proximity of the golf courses to where England play their league games as there will be on how many training sessions their players attend in between matches. The Bazballers are coming off a humiliating hiding at the hands of India. They’ve only won four ODIs since their disastrous World Cup campaign in 2023 and have repeatedly looked out of depth in a format they helped revolutionise. This despite possessing some elite power-hitters and an equally fiery bowling attack. Watch out for them when they face Australia in Lahore in what is an Ashes year.

South Africa

Coach Rob Walter

Captain Temba Bavuma

Trophy Best Champions 1998

Squad Temba Bavuma (c), 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

Games v Afghanistan (Fri, Feb 21, Karachi), v Australia (Tue, Feb 25, Rawalpindi), v England (Sat, Mar 1, Karachi)

BHARAT SAYS

Rarely can you find a bigger disparity between quality of talent and quality of performances than this South African ODI team. It’s a squad that on paper brims with matchwinners, from Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller to Kagiso Rabada and Tabraiz Shamsi, but has barely won any matches over the past 18 months since their dominant show in the previous World Cup. South Africa have lost six ODIs on the trot, including both during the tri-series in Pakistan.

KNOCKOUT PHASE

First Semi-Final – A1 v B2: Tue, Mar 4, Dubai

Second Semi-Final – B1 v A2: Tue, Mar 5, Lahore

Final – SF1 Winner v SF2 Winner, Sun, Mar 9, TBC

All games 8pm (AEDT)