Tag: Champions Trophy

7Apr By source belowNo Comments

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‘It’s a real honour’: Harry Brook named England white ball captain

Harry Brook, who recently pulled out of the 2025 Indian Premier League to concentrate on his country’s matches, was on Monday appointed England’s white-ball captain, replacing Jos Buttler, who had stepped down after the Three Lions’ disastrous Champions Trophy campaign. The 26-year-old made his debut in 2022 and has been a key part of England’s white-ball set-up since, spending the past year as the vice-captain in both ODIs and T20Is. He also led England in the ODI series against Australia last September in Buttler’s absence. “It’s a real honour to be named England’s white-ball captain. Ever since I was a kid playing cricket at Burley in Wharfedale, I dreamed of representing Yorkshire, playing for England, and maybe one day leading the team. To now be given that chance means a great deal ...

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14Mar By source belowNo Comments

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Ricky Ponting credits Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya for India’s Champions Trophy triumph

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has lauded India’s all-rounders trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Hardik Patel for their “outstanding” performance throughout the 2025 Champions Trophy, which was eventually won by the Rohit Sharma-led team. “Their all-rounders right through the tournament were outstanding,” Ponting said on the latest edition of The ICC Review. “(Ravindra) Jadeja, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, were all outstanding. I said at the start of the tournament I thought India would be really hard to beat because of their overall balance and because of that mix of youth and experience, and once again, in a final, the captain stands up and gets the job done for his team.” Story continues below this ad India’s Ravindra Jadeja hits the winning run against N...

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11Mar By source belowNo Comments

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Champions Trophy: Indian cricketers return home after victory, get a week off ahead of two-month-long IPL

Indian cricket team skipper Rohit Sharma waves at fans on his arrival at his residence in Mumbai, Monday, March 10, 2025 The Indian cricketers, led by Rohit Sharma, have made a quiet return home following their triumph in the Champions Trophy in Dubai. After leading India to their second ICC title in nine months, skipper Rohit landed back in Mumbai on Monday (March 10, 2025). The squad members have got a week off before they join their respective IPL teams ahead of the tournament beginning March 22. "All the players with families left from Dubai on Monday(March 10, 2025). There are some players who have stayed back for a couple of days," a BCCI source told PTI. With players preferring to rest ahead of the two-month-long IPL, the BCCI did not plan a fel...

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10Mar By source belowNo Comments

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‘I just wish Rohit Sharma had won this in Lahore’: Ajay Jadeja on India’s Champions Trophy 2025 triumph

Former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja said had India won the Champions Trophy in Pakistan, it would have been an even more special win, beyond just the sports for the Men in Blue. India beat New Zealand in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Ground on Sunday night and speaking on the Dressing Room show, the former India captain, Jadeja said, “I was just wishing that if India had won this in Lahore, it would’ve been even better. It would’ve been a victory beyond just the sport.” He also praised all the fans around the world for turning up for the global tournament. Story continues below this ad “Shoutout to the fans as well because every player that I’ve talked to who’s been there, they’ve enjoyed being there. The people of Pakistan have also ...

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9Mar By source belowNo Comments

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ICC Champions Trophy: Redemption for KL Rahul as crucial innings eases pain of World Cup final

He appeared calm on the outside right through his innings, but in a lighter moment after India won the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, KL Rahul had time for a joke. “I don’t think I should say this on camera, but I was sh***ng myself at the end there,” Rahul told Simon Doull. The wicketkeeper-batsman, however, was solid once again in a run-chase, finishing unbeaten on 34 off 33 balls as India won back-to-back ICC titles in Dubai on Sunday. “I was confident we could win. In moments like these, in big games, it’s about holding your composure. We all know that’s not easy, but I’m happy we won and got over the line this time. I have batted in situations like this in three of the five games. The games have given me good time in the middle and good preparation for big moments like this,” Rahul said. ...

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9Mar By source belowNo Comments

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‘Whether it’s Ronaldo, Messi or Djokovic…’: What Ravi Shastri said about Virat Kohli ahead of Champions Trophy final

Former India coach Ravi Shastri hailed Virat Kohli’s energy ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy final against New Zealand, saying that the Indian batsman had the kind of energy that was comparable to some of the top sportspeople in the world. Kohli has 217 runs in this ICC Champions Trophy but Shastri said that it was also his energy on the ground while fielding and his demeanour that was very sport friendly. “You know people (like to) watch sport when they watch a sportsman with energy,” Shastri said to the ICC Review. “Whether his name is (Cristiano) Ronaldo or it’s (Lionel) Messi or whether it’s a (Novak) Djokovic or whether it’s (Rafael) Nadal, that energy that they bring in – there’s a certain kind of charisma and it rubs off on other people. They want to watch this guy play.” Stor...

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7Mar By source belowNo Comments

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Two days before the Champions Trophy final, what’s the mood in the finalists’ camp

Rawalpindi to Dubai. Dubai to Lahore. Lahore to Dubai. This has been New Zealand’s itinerary over the past week and having endured more travel than any other team in the Champions Trophy, the Black Caps chose to give their players a much needed rest on Friday ahead of their final against India this Sunday.While most teams opt for optional or light training on the eve of the match these days, New Zealand have chosen to train under lights on Saturday with India scheduled to practice from 3 PM. While there have been a lot of criticisms directed at the ICC for making the schedule to the comfort of India, the New Zealand coach echoed similar sentiments even though his players downplayed the whole episode. However, he did voice his concern about the hectic schedule. Apart from India who got to p...

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7Mar By source belowNo Comments

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Reiffel, Illingworth to be on-field umpires for Champions Trophy final

Australia's Paul Reiffel and England's Richard Illingworth will be the on-field umpires, while Sri Lanka's Ranjan Madugalle will be the match referee for the Champions Trophy final between India and New Zealand here on Sunday.Reiffel, 58, a former Australian fast bowler with more than 200 Test and ODI wickets, was one of the on-field umpires during South Africa's semifinal against New Zealand in Lahore.Illingworth, 61, a former England left-arm spinner, was part of the action in India's last-four clash against Australia in Dubai.Illingworth, the four-time ICC Umpire of the Year, also stood in the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup in India and the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Americas.He was also the umpire in the group match between India and New Zealand, which the former won by 44 runs.India d...

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5Mar By source belowNo Comments

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‘Not buying into it’: Steve Smith dismisses theory that India had edge because of playing all games in Dubai

Did the Indian cricket team have an unfair advantage at the ongoing Champions Trophy? The are after all the only team to play all their games at the same venue in Dubai while the rest of the countries had to play theirs at multiple venues in Pakistan besides a game in Dubai against India? Australian stand-in skipper Steve Smith does not think so, disagreeing with some pundits and players who have voiced their concerns about the hybrid model. After Smith’s team lost to India by four wickets in the semi-finals on Tuesday at the Dubai International Stadium, the stand-in skipper conceded that they had been “outplayed” by a superior team. “I’m not buying into it (India’s familiarity with pitch and condition). India obviously played some really good cricket here. The surface kind of suits their...

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5Mar By source belowNo Comments

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Wasim Akram hails chase master Virat Kohli: ‘He is definitely going to…’

With his knock of 84 runs in India’s four-wicket win over Australia in the Champions Trophy semi-final in Dubai on Tuesday, Virat Kohli became only the second batsman in the world to cross the 8,000-run mark in ODI run chases. Sachin Tendulkar currently sits at the top of the list with 8,720 runs in ODI run chases. Former Pakistan pacer and captain Wasim Akram believes Kohli’s record is phenomenal and he is one of the greats of the game. The top five ODI run-chase scorers in world cricket are Tendulkar, Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Sanath Jayasuriya and Jacques Kallis. “Look at these all names with the highest run chasers. Sachin, Rohit, Jayasuriya and Kallis. There are the greats of the game and Kohli is definitely going to pass Sachin Tendulkar the way it looks like. Kohli’s average is only seco...

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5Mar By source belowNo Comments

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It’s been a different Varun Chakravarthy since he has come back to international cricket: Suryakumar

India’s Varun Chakravarthy during the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal cricket match against Australia at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on March 4, 2025. | Photo Credit: AP India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav on Tuesday said mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been a different player since his comeback to international cricket, for he has become mentally tougher and plays with a smile on his face.Chakravarthy returned excellent figures of 5/42 in India's convincing victory over New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday, which helped the team to top their group on way to the semifinals of the tournament.“The way he left in 2021 and the way he has come back, there are two different Varun Chakravarthys,...

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3Mar By source belowNo Comments

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Champions Trophy: How Shreyas Iyer, Rohit Sharma are the faces of India’s risk management

As pitches in Dubai seem to be getting slower with each outing, all eyes are on the Indian spinners. However, for India to go the distance a lot is riding on the batting unit, which so far has adapted exceptionally to the sort of tracks that have been their biggest undoing in recent times. With a century each to Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, they have two in-form batsmen in the top three to go with Rohit Sharma to provide rapid starts. In the middle overs where they need to be flexible with their approach against spinners, they have a solid middle-order which includes an enforcer in Shreyas Iyer and two busy players in Axar Patel and KL Rahul before the finishing job is handed over to Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja. This is as good a top 8 as a team could get in these conditions where b...

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3Mar By source belowNo Comments

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He has got something different: Rohit on Varun Chakaravarthy selection masterstroke

India’s Virat Kohli and Varun Chakaravarthy celebrate after winning the ICC Champions Trophy cricket match over New Zealand, in Dubai, UAE, Sunday, March 2, 2025. | Photo Credit: PTI The X-factor around mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy's bowling influenced his selection for India's last Champions Trophy group game against New Zealand, skipper Rohit Sharma said here on Sunday (March 2, 2025) after the move proved to be a masterstroke. Chakaravarthy justified his selection in the XI with excellent figures of 5/42 in 10 overs, as India registered a convincing 44-run victory to top Group A on way to the semifinals alongside the Kiwis in second place. "He has got something different about him, so wanted to t...

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2Mar By source belowNo Comments

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Champions Trophy: Varun Chakravarthy takes 5 wickets as India defeat New Zealand by 44 runs to set up semifinal date with Australia

Varun Chakravarthy starred with 5 wickets for 40 runs as India defeated New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday and topped the Group A table to set up a semifinal date with Australia on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Group B table toppers South Africa will now face New Zealand in the second semifinal in Lahore on Wednesday. Kane Williamson scored a fighting 81 but he was sent back by Axar Patel who along with Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja took 1 wicket apiece. India will be wary of their semifinal opponents who even with a depleted squad pose a threat. The last time these two sides met in an ICC 50-over tournament, Australia had walked out as the ODI World Cup 2023 champions in Ahmedabad. Earlier, Shreyas Iyer produced a composed fifty under pressure but New Zealand, led by pacer Mark Henry, managed to ...

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28Feb By source belowNo Comments

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Upbeat Afghanistan plots Australia’s downfall

“You think we will come only to play with Maxwell? Do you think it will be like that?,” asked Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, as he addressed the media ahead of the Champions Trophy group league fixture against Australia.He paused for a moment, and added with a smile: “We have plans for the entire Australian team and I know that Maxwell played really well in the 2023 World Cup, but that’s part of the history…” The last time the two teams squared off in a 50-over ICC event, in Mumbai in 2023, Glenn Maxwell stole Afghanistan’s thunder with an unbeaten double hundred, and dashed its hopes of making it to the knockouts. At the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday, when the two sides meet again, a spot in the semifinals will be on the line. Afghanistan’s dramatic win over England has...

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27Feb By source belowNo Comments

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Box office clash of Champions Trophy: well-rounded Afghanistan vs clinical Australia

Even before the adrenaline could subside after a heart-stopping, rollercoaster ride against England on Wednesday night in Lahore, Afghanistan’s thoughts started to turn toward Australia. Player of the match Ibrahim Zadran, after his record-breaking 177, said it will be important to avoid simple mistakes when they take on Steve Smith’s men. Sure, knocking out England from the ICC Champions Trophy is a big result for the tournament debutants, but it signified their rise in international cricket that they aren’t just here for these one-off wins. The Afghanistan cricket story, inspiring as it is, is not a surprise anymore. On Friday, they will stand with a chance to add another chapter. World Champions Australia know all too well how difficult it is to face Afghanistan. Rewind back to Mumbai...

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27Feb By source belowNo Comments

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How Joe Root’s ramp shot gave Afghanistan a new lease of life and paved the way for their thrilling win

The winning moment for Afghanistan couldn’t have been scripted better in Lahore. Azmatullah Omarzai picked up his fifth wicket to go with his crucial 41. The ball went to Ibrahim Zadran at long off who held onto the catch. He had batted from the start of the Afghanistan innings till the last over earlier in the afternoon for a record-breaking 177 off 146 balls, now the highest individual score in Champions Trophy history as well as for Afghanistan in this format.As Adil Rashid was dismissed, Afghanistan made back-to-back wins against England in ICC ODI events, after having defeated the then-reigning World Champions in the 2023 World Cup in Delhi. Chasing 326 to stay alive in the tournament, England fell short by 8 runs at the Gaddafi Stadium and will be exiting another ICC event early. As ...

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26Feb By source belowNo Comments

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ICC Champions Trophy: Kuldeep Yadav’s subtle wrist-spin sets him apart

In India’s ICC Champions Trophy victory against Pakistan, Virat Kohli’s century (100* on 111 balls) was a key ingredient. But Kuldeep Yadav was the secret spice for India as he played an important role in reducing Pakistan to 241. The subtle nature of Kuldeep Yadav’s art makes him stand out from some of the best wrist-spinners in the history of the game, including the likes of Shane Warne and Anil Kumble. It’s this quality that bamboozles batsmen when they attempt to target Kuldeep at the business end of limited-overs games. Take the match against Pakistan at the ICC Champions Trophy, for example. Story continues below this ad Pakistan had reached 200/5 with eight overs left in their innings. Salman Ali Agha and Khushdil Shah had a good partnership going and were looking t...

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26Feb By source belowNo Comments

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Pakistan needs a bold new approach to redeem itself

Pakistan paid the price for fielding mistakes and a rather timid batting show. | Photo Credit: AP The stage was set perfectly for Pakistan. The country was hosting its first ICC tournament since the 1996 World Cup and was the defending champion. Yet, six days into the event, Mohammad Rizwan’s men’s campaign came to a shuddering halt.While injuries to Saim Ayub (in the lead-up) and Fakhar Zaman (in the first match) weakened the line-up, those were not the only reasons for the early exit. The losses to New Zealand and India had a predictable pattern as the batters’ timid approach proved costly. Chasing 321 against the Kiwis, the home side crawled to 22 for two in the PowerPlay and could never recover. Des...

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25Feb By source belowNo Comments

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Champions Trophy controversy: Why ‘advantage India’ criticism from Pat Cummins and Michael Atherton about Dubai pitches is valid

These are still early days of the Champions Trophy, but the prefix ‘neutral venue’ before Dubai for India’s matches is already inviting chuckles. In a tournament hosted by Pakistan, it is India — thanks to the conditions in Dubai — which is feeling more at home, with teams in Group B already sweating at the prospect of playing their semi-finals here on March 4. It’s somewhat akin to suddenly land up in Chennai to play on carefully-curated sluggish tracks that abet Chennai Super Kings. What’s more, here India don’t have any ‘away’ game. With the match between Australia and South Africa washed out at Rawalpindi on Tuesday, the Group B is now wide open with Wednesday’s fixture between England and Afghanistan at Lahore being a knockout clash. Once that happens, the calculators would be out of ...

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25Feb By source belowNo Comments

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India vs Pakistan is one-sided contest right now: Michael Atherton

Former England captain Michael Atherton said that the rivalry between India and Pakistan has now become “one-sided” as the hype didn’t match the expectations. India on Sunday defeated Pakistan by six wickets in their Group A encounter of the ongoing Champions Trophy in Dubai. “Well, it was completely one-sided,” Michael Atherton said on Sky Sports Podcast. “It looked very predictable from a long way out. An underpowered Pakistan batting line-up, as it was in that first game, actually, against New Zealand. Story continues below this ad “There just seemed to lack a bit of energy and dynamism in the batting.” Atherton argued that with all the hyper surrounded around the fixture, the cricket didn’t lived up to its billings. “There’ a bit of an issue for that contest, isn’t...

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24Feb By source belowNo Comments

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Champions Trophy | ‘Virat Kohli’s engine room is ODI cricket and it could be his second innings’: R Ashwin on batter’s 51st ODI ton

With his 51st ODI hundred against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy match at Dubai on Sunday, Virat Kohli hit his first International hundred since the hundred against Australia in the Perth Test match during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Kohli, who had only amassed 190 runs in nine Test innings in Australia in the Border-Gavaskar trophy, had got out six times to off side deliveries followed by a half-century in three ODI matches against England last month. Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has shared how he did not see those dismissals in red ball cricket as any ‘doubts’ and ODI cricket being Kohli’s engine room. “I never had any doubt about Virat’s quality. When we were playing in Australia, people were criticizing that he was nicking the ball in the slips. People shou...

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24Feb By source belowNo Comments

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Wasim Akram compares Pakistan cricket team with USA and Oman: ‘Our bowlers average is second worst’

Legendary Pakistan cricketer Wasim Akram has made a scathing attack on the Mohammad Rizwan-led side after their six-wicket loss against India in Group A of the ongoing Champions Trophy. Defending champions and hosts Pakistan are now on the brink of getting eliminated from the team. “Drastic steps needed. We are playing archaic cricket in white-ball for ages,” Wasim Akram said on the show “Dressing Room.” “This need to change. Bring fearless cricketers, young blood into the team. If you have to make five-six changes. Please make it. Story continues below this ad “You keep losing for next six months. Its fine but start building team for World T20 2026 from now onwards,” he said. Wasim Akram also lambasted Pakistan’s bowling as they have the second worst average in the ODI...

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24Feb By source belowNo Comments

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‘Brainless and clueless management’: Shoaib Akhtar slams Pakistan think tank after India defeat

Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar has lampooned Pakistan management as ‘brainless and clueless’ after the team’s second successive defeat in the Champions Trophy. After losing to New Zealand in the first game of the Champions Trophy, Pakistan were handed a six-wicket defeat on Sunday by India in Dubai. In a series of clips he shared on his social media handle, Akhtar slammed the way Pakistan team had gone about its business. He pointed out the team selection of an all-rounder-heavy side. The former fast bowler lampooned the team and said that they couldn’t even match the skills of the Men in Blue players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill. “I am not disappointed at all (by the defeat to India) because I knew what would happen. You can’t select five bowlers, the whole wo...

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23Feb By source belowNo Comments

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Champions Trophy, AUS vs ENG first impressions: Aura of the yellow jersey intact

DNA of champions The lead-up to the tournament was dominated by who was missing from the squad rather than who was in it. But again they showed that whatever XI takes the park in the famous yellow jersey, it still provides a formidable challenge. Chasing 352, they lost their proven match-winners in Travis Head and Steve Smith, but it was their less-heralded players like Matthew Short and Alex Short, and the under-fire Marnus Labuschagne, who made vital contributions while Josh Inglis played one of the greatest ODI innings in a big chase. The fact that they overhauled the target with 15 balls left proved that when the Aussies get on a roll, they are ruthless in putting down their opponents. Australia’s Josh Inglis is congratulated by teammate Glenn Maxwell after scoring century during the ...

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23Feb By source belowNo Comments

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Champions Trophy: Aaqib Javed enlists Mudassar Nazar’s expertise for clash against India

A file image of Pakistan’s cricket head coach Aaqib Javed | Photo Credit: AFP Pakistan’s interim head coach and selector Aaqib Javed has enlisted the help of former teammate Mudassar Nazar to assist in preparing the team for their crucial Champions Trophy clash against arch-rivals India in Dubai on Sunday (February 23, 2025).Aaqib invited Mudassar to join the Pakistan team’s nets session in Dubai to share his insights on the playing conditions, particularly any recent changes.A source close to the team revealed that Mudassar, who has been based in Dubai for several years and works at the ICC Academy, possesses extensive knowledge of the local conditions.Mudassar, a former Pakistan coach and ex-director of the P...

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