India and Pakistan had faced off in the 2017 Champions Trophy final which Pakistan won by 180 runs
Legendary fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was positive that Pakistan will defeat India in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 as the co-hosts of the tournament aim to defend their crown from the 2017 edition in England.
The arch-rivals last met in the final of the competition at The Oval in 2017 as Safaraz Nawaz’s men foiled India from lifting the Champions Trophy in back-to-back editions with a 180-run win.
This year, Pakistan were forced to go from hosts of the Champions Trophy 2025 to co-hosting the tournament with Dubai as BCCI refused to travel. The Pakistan Cricket Board is also going through a logistical race against time to get the reconstructed stadiums in their country ready for the tournament. Due to the hectic itinerary, they had to cancel the trophy photoshoot with all the captains.
Also owing to security issues, the tournament will not have a single ICC umpire or match referee officiating the matches.
Akhtar, who has 41 ODI wickets from 28 matches against India, felt that Pakistan beating India in the Group A match on February 23 is like winning half of the tournament.
“I’m hopeful that Pakistan will defeat India on February 23. In fact, I believe that both Pakistan and India should also meet in the final of the tournament. If Pakistan defeats India and New Zealand in the Champions Trophy, the Green Shirts will have already won half the tournament,” Akhtar said at a media event, as quoted by CricketPakistan.pk.
With the tournament being played in sub-continental conditions, Akhtar predicted three Asian teams to make the cut for semifinals.
“If Afghanistan’s team shows maturity during the event, they could make it to the semi-finals. I believe Pakistan, India and Afghanistan will reach the semi-finals of the 2025 Champions Trophy,” Akhtar said.
Afghanistan have punched above their weight in recent times. In the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, they recorded their best ever finish in an ICC event by entering the semifinal for the first time ever.
India and Pakistan are in Group A alongside Bangladesh and New Zealand. Pakistan will kick off the tournament on February 19 with a clash against New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi. India, meanwhile, will face Bangladesh on February 20 for their tournament opener.
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