Former Pakistan skipper and ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 Event Ambassador Sarfaraz Ahmed advises Pakistan players to stay calm during the clash against India on 23 February in Dubai.
India – Pakistan matches still remain one of the most anticipated games of every ICC tournament. As the two teams avoid playing bilateral matches due to political issues, the neighbouring countries will face off only in the ICC and ACC tournaments.
As of every ICC tournament, the expectation for the India vs Pakistan match rose to its peak ahead of the CT2025. As per the Champions Trophy 2025 schedule, India and Pakistan will face off on 23 February in Dubai.
Though Pakistan holds the hosting rights of the Champions Trophy 2025, India’s matches alone will be played in Dubai after BCCI refused to send their players to Pakistan.
Ahead of the high-octane clash, Sarfaraz Ahmed who was the captain of the Pakistan side that lifted the Champions Trophy in 2017 wants Pakistan players to play intense but smart cricket against arch-rivals India.
“Whenever we meet, it is a special occasion and there is so much hype and pressure around it. But as players, you need to stay calm, try and block that noise out, and just play with the same intensity as you would play Australia or any other team”, Sarfaraz discussed the importance of India-Pakistan encounters in an exclusive column with the ICC.
Pakistan will begin their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against New Zealand on 18 February in Karachi. Ahead of the tournament start, ICC announced the prize money for Champions Trophy 2025 where winners will bag a whopping USD2.24 million.
