Ricky Ponting reveals his Champions Trophy 2025 finalists

Former Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has tipped Pakistan as a strong contender for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final, citing their recent strong performances in One-Day International (ODI) cricket.

In an interview with Sanjana Ganesan and Ravi Shastri on The ICC Review, Ponting acknowledged that while India and Australia remain the clear favourites for the trophy, Pakistan is a team to watch out for in the upcoming tournament.

“Pakistan has been playing some really good cricket lately,” Ponting said. “Their one-day cricket has been outstanding, and they seem to have worked through their previous inconsistencies. While they’re not always the most predictable team in big tournaments, they appear to have sorted things out a bit.”

Pakistan enters the 2025 Champions Trophy on the back of impressive victories in recent ODI series, including a 2-1 win over Australia and a 3-0 whitewash of South Africa. Under the leadership of Mohammad Rizwan, the team has shown a remarkable turnaround after the 2023 Cricket World Cup, where they defeated both Australia and Zimbabwe in ODI series. Ponting noted these successes as evidence of Pakistan's growing strength ahead of the tournament.

The Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to begin on February 19, will be hosted in Pakistan across three venues — Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi — with some matches in Dubai. As the defending champions from 2017, when they defeated India in the final, Pakistan will be looking to replicate their historic victory and challenge India and Australia for the title.

However, Ponting also expressed his belief that India and Australia are the teams to beat in the tournament. "Based on their recent success in big tournaments and star-studded lineups, India and Australia will likely meet in the final," he added.

Both India and Australia have won the Champions Trophy twice, making them the most successful teams in the tournament's history. With star players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, David Warner, and Steve Smith in the line-ups, they will be formidable opponents.

Ponting’s comments highlight the unpredictability of cricket and the potential for upsets. Despite the dominance of India and Australia, Pakistan’s performance in recent months has proven that they are capable of challenging the biggest teams. Pakistan will aim to repeat their 2017 heroics and make another splash in the global tournament.

The stage is set for a thrilling Champions Trophy 2025, with expectations high for all teams. Pakistan will be hoping to ride on their recent form and home advantage to capture another Champions Trophy title.