Ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy – live on Sky Sports from February 19 to March 9 – we look at the sides in Group B: England, Australia, South Africa and Afghanistan.
England
by Adam Williams
Best result: Runners-up (2004, 2013)
2017 result: Semi-finalists
Head coach: Brendon McCullum
Squad: Jos Buttler (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood.
England captain Jos Buttler presided over a 3-0 defeat in India ahead of the Champions Trophy
Bowler to watch
Adil Rashid. Potentially the final furlong for England’s leading white-ball spinner of his generation as he eyes up the prospect of playing a pivotal role on turning pitches in Pakistan.
Arguably the first name on the teamsheet, Rashid will be keen to add another ICC winners’ medal to his collection after playing key roles in the 2019 ODI World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup.
England’s Adil Rashid could be key to his side’s hopes in the Champions Trophy
Batter to watch
Harry Brook. On his last trip to Pakistan in England colours, the Yorkshireman clocked up a Test triple hundred. Sadly England will not be returning to Multan this time around, but Brook will be keen to continue his excellent record in the country. He will hope to go through the gears and up the run-rate when required.
Prospects
Hopefully a better return than their last experience in an ICC 50-over competition in the subcontinent: the 2023 World Cup in India.
England’s defence of that title fell well short of expectations and included a humiliating group-stage defeat to Afghanistan, who they will face amid political controversy between tough tests against Australia and South Africa.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Richard Gould believes England boycotting their ICC Champions Trophy game against Afghanistan would be ‘counterproductive’
Being on the receiving end of a series clean sweep in India in the build-up, where a lack of cohesion and a clear plan were evident, will have done little to raise expectations. But, as ever with Bazball, expect the unexpected.
Fixtures (all 9am UK and Ireland)
vs Australia (Saturday February 22)
vs Afghanistan (Wednesday February 26)
vs South Africa (Saturday March 1)
Australia
By David Ruse
Best result: Winners (2006, 2009)
2017 result: Knocked out in group stage
Head coach: Andrew McDonald
Squad: Steve Smith (captain), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserve: Cooper Connolly.
Australia’s Adam Zampa will shoulder a lot of the burden in the bowling attack with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood out
Bowler to watch
Leg-spinner Adam Zampa. One) because he’s good and two) because seam stalwarts Pat Cummins (injured), Josh Hazlewood (injured) and Mitchell Starc (personal reasons) are out, depriving the team of the entire pace attack that won the 2023 World Cup.
Zampa bagged 23 wickets over the course of that tournament and may need to be prolific again with Australia’s seam options talented – Nathan Ellis, for one, has plenty of tricks – but inexperienced in ODIs.
Batter to watch
Travis Head scored the match-winning hundred in the World Cup final against India and Australia will look for him to go big at the top of the order, but Steve Smith should be the glue that holds everything together.
Australia’s Steve Smith will be the anchor in the middle order
Smith has returned to peak form in Test cricket after a lean spell, peeling off four tons in five games, while he also smoked a Big Bash ton for Sydney Sixers. Different formats, sure, but his class should tell again.
Prospects
Australia are so good at winning global tournaments but this one might be a stretch with so many big-name absentees, including Cameron Green (injured), Mitchell Marsh (injured) and Marcus Stoinis (retired).
Recent convincing defeats to a Sri Lanka side that did not even qualify for the Champions Trophy will hardly breed confidence. Still with Smith, Head and Zampa around, not to mention Glenn Maxwell – destructive with the bat, capable with the ball, stunning in the field – it would be foolish to write them off.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Did we see the catch of the year on the first day of January? Watch Glenn Maxwell take this stunning boundary catch in the Big Bash League
Fixtures (all 9am UK and Ireland)
vs England (Saturday February 22)
vs South Africa (Tuesday February 25)
vs Afghanistan (Friday February 28)
Afghanistan
by Adam Williams
Best result: Tournament debut
2017 result: N/A
Head coach: Jonathan Trott
Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Malik, Naveed Zadran. Reserves: Darwish Rasooli, Bilal Sami.
Bowler to watch
Rashid Khan. For someone who has already crammed so much into his international and globetrotting T20 franchise career, it is incredible to see the leg-spinner is still only 26.
Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan is not only a threat with the ball
A talismanic leader with the ball who will take on a more prominent role in the absence of fellow spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who was omitted from this squad. Can take the new ball as well as play a part later in an innings and also has a knack of contributing quickfire runs down the order with the bat.
Batter to watch
Sediqullah Atal. A left-handed opener on the rise who has also recently featured for MI Cape Town in the SA20.
Contributed a ton and a half-century in an ODI series victory over Zimbabwe in December to book his place in this squad. Set to open the batting alongside Ibrahim Zadran, who returned from an ankle injury late last year.
Prospects
More than capable of springing a surprise (or two!) and they have an outside chance of reaching the semi-finals, as they did at last year’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies.
Afghanistan reached the semi-finals of last year’s T20 World Cup
Pakistan legend Younis Khan has been appointed as a mentor and could offer some invaluable insight on conditions and game management for a side who can often let good opportunities slip due to one-off errors or lapses in concentration.
Will hope not to be on the receiving end of another Maxwell masterclass when they face Australia after the right-hander’s astonishing 201 not out off 128 balls secured a stunning group-stage victory at the 2023 World Cup.
Fixtures (all 9am UK and Ireland)
vs South Africa (Friday February 21)
vs England (Wednesday February 26)
vs Australia (Friday February 28)
South Africa
By David Ruse
Best result: Winners (1998)
2017 result: Knocked out in group stage
Head coach: Rob Walter
Squad: Temba Bavuma (captain), Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen. Travelling reserve: Kwena Maphaka.
South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada is part of a well-rounded bowling attack
Bowler to watch
South Africa have a balanced attack with every base seemingly covered, but Kagiso Rabada is the leader of the pace unit, boasting 162 wickets across his 103 ODIs to date.
Rabada is fresh off a four-wicket performance in the SA20 final for MI Cape Town, when he got the better of Proteas pal Marco Jansen, who was playing for Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
Still, Jansen finished that tournament as leading wicket-taker with 19 victims in 13 matches and his left-arm seam from a towering height could cause opponents oodles of problems in the Champions Trophy – and so, too, his lower middle order hitting.
Batter to watch
Heinrich Klaasen. If Klaasen and Jansen dovetail with the bat over the next few weeks, then look out! Those two give the ball an almighty clout with Klaasen scoring half-centuries in each of his last four ODIs, including 87 from 56 balls against Pakistan in Karachi last week, an innings that included 11 fours and three sixes.
South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen is a potent force in South Africa’s middle order
He has also notched fifty-plus scores in his previous two ODIs against England, most recently in October 2023 when he belted 109 from 67 balls in the World Cup group-stage win in Mumbai. England skipper Buttler made the bizarre decision to bowl first in extreme heat and a red-hot Klaasen cashed in.
Prospects
Despite an awful lot of firepower, South Africa’s recent run in ODI cricket has been, well, awful. Six defeats on the trot and 16 losses in 25 since reaching the World Cup semi-finals in 2023.
The caveat is that the Proteas have been unable to field full-strength sides due to other cricketing commitments.
Their squad is stacked once again now, though, and considering they play a depleted Australia, a hideously out-of-form England and an Afghanistan side they demolished in last year’s T20 World Cup semi-final, South Africa will expect to reach the last four here.
Fixtures (all 9am UK and Ireland)
vs Afghanistan (Friday February 21)
vs Australia (Tuesday February 25)
vs England (Saturday March 1)
Watch every match from the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy live on Sky Sports between February 19 and March 9 or stream with NOW.
