In preparation for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Pakistan will host a thrilling ODI tri-series featuring South Africa and New Zealand in February 2025. With Pakistan securing hosting rights, this tri-series promises exciting cricket action and valuable preparation for the upcoming tournament. Cricket enthusiasts eagerly anticipate witnessing top teams compete on Pakistani soil, setting the stage for a memorable cricket spectacle.
Just before the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025, Pakistan will host an ODI tri-series between the national cricket teams of South Africa and New Zealand, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Friday, March 15.
Pakistan has been granted the hosting rights for the ICC Champions Trophy, which will take place there in February and March of 2025. There are eight teams in the competition, and the teams’ performances in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India will determine their qualifying. Having won the previous Champions Trophy in 2017, Pakistan is the current defending champion.
Despite Pakistan’s hosting rights, there’s a good chance the competition would use a hybrid format, much as the Asia Cup 2023, because rumors suggest the Indian government is unlikely to send Team India to Pakistan for the competition. Notably, PCB served as the host team for the Asia Cup in 2023. However, due to BCCI’s denial of sending the Men in Blue to Pakistan, the competition was conducted under a hybrid format in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Returning to the topic of the tri-series, Mohsin Naqvi, the recently appointed chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), met with Mr. Lawson Naidoo, the chairman of Cricket South Africa (CSA), and Mr. Roger Twose, the chairman of New Zealand Cricket (NZC), to discuss several topics. One of these discussions was the tri-series before the Champions Trophy, which would give the teams enough practice before the major event.
The host and both member boards approved and welcomed the conclusion of the tri-series. Pakistan Cricket Board
Cricket South Africa (CSA) and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) have expressed their approval of the idea for the tri-series in February 2025, according to a press statement issued by PCB.
The ODI Tri-series involving Pakistan, New Zealand, and South Africa was on the agenda for the conference. It was scheduled to take place in Pakistan in February 2025, right before the ICC Champions Trophy. The host and both member boards praised the completed Tri-series. The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also invited Mr. Roger Twose and Mr. Lawson Naidoo to come to Pakistan,” the PCB stated in a press release.
Notably, Pakistan will host a tri-series for the first time in twenty years. They last held a tri-series including Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka in October 2004.
It would be a great occasion to host the Tri-series between Pakistan, South Africa, and New Zealand—a competition that Pakistan hasn’t hosted in a very long time. I express my gratitude to the leaders of NZC and CSA for their willingness to take part in the Tri-series. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said, “The PCB is also looking forward to hosting the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025. It will be a great pleasure for Pakistan to host the top eight ODI teams on its soil.
In the meanwhile, the following teams will compete for the Champions Trophy: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, India, and the host nation, Pakistan.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will have the same structure as previous years, with teams split into two groups of four. The top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals, where the winners square off in the summit match.
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