Top 5 Matches of the Champions Trophy 2025 That You Should Not Miss at Any Cost

Two days ago, the ICC International Cricket Council finally announced the schedule for the Champions Trophy 2025 after a long delay due to the diplomatic tussle between the BCCI and the Pakistan Cricket Board, which was recently resolved. Today, we will discuss the top five matches you should not miss in this tournament.

The tournament will start on 19 February, last 19 days, and feature 15 exciting matches, with the final on 9 March. It will be played between the top 8 teams, divided into two groups. Each team will play one match against every other team in the group. Then, the top two teams of each group will reach the semifinals.

Let's discuss each match one by one. 

Pakistan vs India (February 23, Dubai)

India and Pakistan will clash on Sunday, February 23, in Dubai, making it a super Sunday. Both teams only face each other in the ICC tournaments, and the match between them receives the highest viewership. India has won more matches against Pakistan in the ICC tournaments. Similarly, India leads with a 3-2 record in the Champions Trophy, but Pakistan won the last game, the final of the Champions Trophy 2017.

However, after that, Pakistan only won against India twice in the 11 matches across all formats in men's cricket. There will not be much difference between India's current squad and the recent ODI World Cup squad.

Australia vs South Africa (25 February)

South Africa will try to take Revenge for the 2023 cricket World Cup defeat in the semi-finals, where Australia and South Africa journey and eventually win the World Cup. 

It will be interesting to see if the match is played in subcontinent conditions similar to what was played in India. With both teams' big-hitting batting and quality bowling,. The game will be interesting to watch. Though South Africa has some injury issues with its pace bowlers, the team would hope to bring the players before the Champions Trophy.

Afghanistan vs Australia

This game will be played on 28 February in Lahore. The last match between Australia and Afghanistan is written in the history books of international cricket. In that match, a single injured batter took the victory away from the opponent team. Glen Maxwell's double century in that match is still alive in fans' hearts and the cricketing fraternity worldwide. After suffering severe cramps in that match, Glenn Maxwell remained on the crease and batted until the last to snatch the victory from Afghanistan single-handedly.

South Africa vs England

The game will be played on March 1 in Karachi. After winning the 2019 World Cup, England has not been consistent in the one-day international format. The team would like to win the ICC tournament again, and the match against South Africa will be crucial for reaching the semi-finals. Against South Africa's strong batting and bowling line, the game guarantees an entertaining and exciting contest.

New Zealand vs India 

The game will be played on 2nd March in Dubai. After defeating New Zealand for the first time since 2003, India would like to keep its momentum against them. In the cricket World Cup 2023, India beat New Zealand twice, once in the group stage format and again within them in the semi-finals. This will be seen as an exciting game of the Champions Trophy as both the top teams will play against each other. The game will be near the end of the group stage. This game can play an important role in who will reach the semi-finals. 

Here is the full schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Check out the full fixtures for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. pic.twitter.com/oecuikydca

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