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Champions Trophy 2024/25, AFG vs ENG 8th Match, Group B Match Preview

Big Picture: Politics takes back seat in high-stakes match-up

For several febrile weeks at the turn of the year, it was impossible to ignore the political mission-creep of England versus Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy. And yet, it’s not impossible that a cricket match will be allowed to take centre stage, after all, in Lahore on Wednesday. A potentially fascinating one, too.

To deal with the frivolous keep-politics-out-of-sport top line first, this is now a must-win clash for the two winless sides in Group B. Australia’s washout against South Africa in Rawalpindi has changed little in that regard, except that it guarantees that, if either team loses in Lahore, they will now be sunk without a trace, rather than relying on snookers and net run-rates when they play the table-toppers later this week.

And, before we get bogged down in the baggage that this contest has acquired, there’s plenty of recent on-field intrigue to drill down into too. Afghanistan’s historic victory in Delhi at the 2023 World Cup has seen to that. It wasn’t the result that ended the reign of the 2019 champions – the tournament’s drawn-out itinerary meant no swift end to their humiliation – but it did unquestionably show them up as plodding, timid and past their collective sell-by date.

Eighteen months on, similar concerns endure for England, even as they embark on their white-ball Bazball reboot. On the one hand, their five-wicket loss to Australia was a game of fine margins, none more galling than Jofra Archer’s glaring miss in the deep at a pivotal juncture of the chase. On the other hand, they put an apparently hefty 351 on the board yet still got steamrolled with almost three overs to spare. Not even Ben Duckett’s tournament-record 165 could suffice for a side whose reticence runs deep, no matter what positive messaging may have been carried across from Brendon McCullum’s Test dressing-room.

On balance, therefore, would you rather be in England’s shoes – confused as to why your best is still not enough and, in the case of their captain Jos Buttler, vaguely cognisant of the implications of another early tournament exit – or Afghanistan’s – fresh from a shoddy display against South Africa that was so far from the new standards that they set themselves that the only way, surely, is up?

Afghanistan’s 107-run loss in Karachi was studded with shoddy fielding, including a glaring missed run-out, and capped by a batting effort that was sunk inside the first 15 overs. Rahmat Shah showed the requisite mettle with a 92-ball 90, but Rashid Khan’s breezy 18 from 13 balls at No. 9 was their second-best score. After their march to the T20 World Cup semi-finals, not to mention four wins at the 2023 World Cup which secured them their Champions Trophy berth, this squad expects better of themselves these days.

Cue England, then, the perfect opponents for teams in need of a little extra incentive to raise their games.

In truth, the protests about this fixture have dissipated in recent weeks, but that’s not to say there won’t be more discussion as the contest gets underway, or that the underlying issues are no longer worthy of airtime. On the contrary, when the Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi wrote to the ECB protesting the “sex apartheid” of Afghanistan’s Taliban regime, on whose watch women’s sport has effectively been banned since 2021, she was merely articulating the same unease that many individual boards were already feeling – including both England and Australia, who had previously pledged to suspend bilateral ties while the Taliban remain in power.

That letter had been signed by a cross-party group of 160 British MPs, but the UK prime minister Keir Starmer echoed the ECB’s line, that this is a matter for the ICC as a collective body, not for individual boards. And that, broadly speaking, has been the final word on the matter for now. Certainly it’s a far cry from the situation that Nasser Hussain’s World Cup squad found themselves in back in 2003, when – amid similar political posturing – it was left to the players themselves to debate, and ultimately carry out, a unilateral boycott of Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe.

Besides, as Buttler reiterated on the eve of the game, there is still a place for sport as “a source of hope and enjoyment” in tough times … much as was the case on the eve of the 2023 clash, in fact, when Afghanistan’s own aim had been to bring a bit of joy back to their country after a devastating earthquake in Herat had killed several thousand people. The issues may be different, but the underlying truth remains the same. When there are forces beyond your control, whatever they may be, all you can do is produce your best and hope it contributes to the greater good.

Form guide

England: LLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Afghanistan: LWWWL

In the spotlight: Mark Wood and Rashid Khan

To judge by its early showings, white-ball Bazball is distinctly Route One. Stack the side with the rawest pace imaginable, and let guile and subtlety go hang. It’s a policy that you can imagine being utterly explosive on its good days, but these have been all too infrequent so far in McCullum’s tenure. Mark Wood‘s display against Australia epitomised this. His ferocious powerplay spell featured barely a delivery below 150kph, and landed the key early wicket of Steven Smith. But by the back end of Australia’s 352-run chase, Glenn Maxwell was making room to leg with impunity, safe in the knowledge that any sort of connection would go the distance. Eight of Wood’s ten ODIs since the start of the 2023 World Cup have now come in ICC events. Nine wickets at 58.44 and an economy rate above 6.5 imply that the Aussies aren’t the only team who are ready for what he’s being primed to unleash.

England’s struggles against high-quality spin have been protracted across formats, and few spinners come more highly rated than Afghanistan’s gun leggie Rashid Khan. Last week, he was knocked off the top of the ICC’s ODI rankings by Maheesh Theekshana, largely due to inactivity, and though he went wicketless in Afghanistan’s opening Group B loss to South Africa, he has happy memories of his most recent outing against England: figures of 3 for 37 in that famous World Cup encounter in Delhi included the winning moment itself, a slider to Wood that sealed a 69-run success, their first over England in any format. As Adam Zampa demonstrated in Australia’s high-scoring win in Lahore on Saturday, stump-threatening wristspinners can unlock even the flattest conditions.

Team news

Brydon Carse had been one of the breakthrough bowlers of England’s winters, but his battered toes contributed to an untimely breakdown against Australia, as his seven overs were dispatched at a tick below ten an over. He has now been ruled out of the tournament, with Jamie Overton the likeliest like-for-like replacement – and if Lahore’s conditions remain as true as in the first match, this might even include the impact that his powerful lower-order hitting has often promised, but rarely delivered.

England: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jamie Smith (wk), 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Jos Buttler (capt), 7 Liam Livingstone, 8 Jamie Overton, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood

Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afghanistan’s captain, hinted that the same XI that tripped up against South Africa would take the field in Lahore – unsurprising in light of his pointed but uncontroversial observation that “the England team struggles a bit against spinners”. In Rashid, Mohammad Nabi and Noor Ahmad, they will have to negotiate 30 overs of the finest, and most varied, slow bowlers in subcontinental conditions, although they will at least be spared a reunion with their chief destroyer at the World Cup, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who has been managing injury in recent months and is not currently involved in the 50-over format.

Afghanistan: (possible) 1 Ibrahim Zadran, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Sediqullah Atal, 4 Rahmat Shah, 5 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 6 Azmatullah Omarzai, 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Gulbadin Naib, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Noor Ahmad, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi

Pitch and conditions

England got a clear idea of Lahore’s run-laden conditions in their tournament opener, and more of the same is in prospect on a pristine new surface. The weather, however, could be decidedly cooler. There’s been rain around on the eve of the contest, and while it is not expected to be a factor during the match, the cloud cover could remain in situ … a possible boon for England’s pace-dominant attack.

Stats and trivia

England have lost five ODIs in a row, their joint-worst run since losing six in a row in their home ODI series against Australia in 2009. Auspiciously, they followed that performance with an improbable semi-final place, weeks later, in the Champions Trophy in South Africa. (Although they did then get crushed by the eventual champions, Australia, once more…)

Champions Trophy 2024/25, AUS vs ENG 4th Match, Group B Match Preview

Big picture: Both teams coming off series defeats

Would you believe it, not only have Australia and England been drawn in the same group at a global tournament, but their Champions Trophy returns also start against one another. Universe (ICC), you’ve done it again! And yet, amid such predictable money-grabbing comes a bit of shameful excitement. Even without mentioning the “A” word, these are two bitter rivals in unique states. A champion Australia side shorn of some of those champions, and an England side increasingly desperate to rediscover former glory.

The lack of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood gives the ODI World Cup holders a less intimidating feel, and subsequently shifts the onus on a batting line-up led by Travis Head’s brand of “Ah, we’ll have a go”. Quite how that responsibility will manifest itself to what is more or less an established group of batters remains to be seen particularly as captain Steven Smith, standing in for Cummins and the injured Mitchell Marsh, who would have likely deputised, weighs up the right combinations for his top seven.

That Australia can call upon Nathan Ellis, Sean Abbott, Spencer Johnson and Ben Dwarshius to fill big bowling boots reflects the enviable depth of Australian cricket, even if those bowlers’ most notable successes – Abbott aside – have come exclusively in T20s. Extrapolating that to 50-over cricket will be its own challenge. Australia are not putting much stock in the fact they arrive off the back of a 2-0 ODI series loss against Sri Lanka. The same could be said of England, even if their 3-0 defeat to India elicited far more anger and ridicule.

Not training enough and golfing too much were the main takeaways outside a group that actually seems in good spirits considering they have now lost all four ODI series since the 2023 World Cup. To be expected, of course, as negative vibes have no place in Brendon McCullum’s house.

In keeping, England’s break to the UAE came with a view of shedding the baggage from a travel-and defeat-heavy month in India, with added benefit of escaping the press hysteria around focusing on the wrong kind of white ball. But McCullum’s task requires a more hands-on and technically focused approach with a group which continues to look uneasy with bat and ball in this format.

How much of that McCullum can change in such a short space of time – he has only been in charge of the limited-overs set-up for a month – will be determined over the coming weeks. Right now, it probably helps to have a familiar foe on the horizon to drum up a little extra heart and vigour.

As for Jos Buttler, the next fortnight will go some way to determining whether he sticks with the captaincy. A promise to smile more at the start of the year felt optimistic at the time, and has proved as much. But after missing all of England’s ODIs in 2024, he will be better for the three ticked off earlier at the start of February.

Of those Buttler missed last year due to a calf injury was the five-match series against Australia at the end of the home summer, which ensures greater familiarity at international level between the players, even if many of them have rubbed shoulders as team-mates or opponents at domestic level.

Australia, made up of a few of the alternates substituted into their Champions Trophy squad, triumphed 3-2 on that occasion, having been 2-0 up before taking their foot off the gas. All five results were blowouts of one kind or another. And just as it was for India, Australia’s spinners made hay against England’s batters, with Adam Zampa doing the brunt of the damage, supplemented by handy contributions from Glenn Maxwell, Marnus Labuschagne and Head.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)

Australia: LLLLW
England: LLLLW

In the spotlight: Spencer Johnson and Harry Brook

Starc is as close to irreplaceable a bowler as you can get in white-ball cricket. But if you’re going to try, a bloke who is six-feet-four and also bowls left-arm rockets is a great place to start. The best of Spencer Johnson has come in the shortest format, and with only three ODI caps spaced out over more than a year, the burden of replacing Starc at the front and back of an innings will weigh heavy on his broad shoulders. After taking his maiden wickets in Sri Lanka earlier this month, much more will be required of Johnson in Pakistan.

Speaking of Pakistan, is there a better place for Harry Brook to rediscover his groove? This country’s pitches have been kind to him, albeit in the Test format, where he averages 84.10 courtesy of four hundreds – the most recent being a triple. England’s newly-appointed vice-captain left the India tour in a funk, with a lowly average of 16.66 in the ODIs brought about by an inability to attack spin effectively. But he will take heart from flatter decks and skippering with distinction against Australia last year, which included registering his maiden ODI century in the 3rd ODI at Chester-le-Street.

Team news

Given the absences, Australia’s pace attack pretty much picks itself. Allrounder Aaron Hardie, the immediate beneficiary of Marcus Stoinis’ retirement from the 50-over format on the eve of the tournament, could sit out for Labuschagne to play as an extra batter. Dwarshius’ left-arm/left-hand option may see him pip Abbott to the bowling allrounder slot.

Australia (probable): 1 Travis Head, 2 Matthew Short, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Josh Inglis (wk), 5 Marnus Labuschagne, 6 Alex Carey, 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Sean Abbott/Ben Dwarshius, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Spencer Johnson

England announced their XI two days out from the match – early by their unusually prompt standards – with Jamie Smith not just back fit from a calf injury, but also batting at No. 3 while also playing as wicketkeeper. It is not quite a nuclear option, but it does involve pushing Joe Root to No. 4 and taking the gloves from Phil Salt, who kept throughout the ODIs in India. With just four frontline bowling options, Root and Liam Livingstone must join forces effectively to provide a serviceable fifth. The pace of Mark Wood and Jofra Archer, playing his first 50-over tournament since his Super Over heroics in 2019’s World Cup final, will present Australia’s starkest challenge.

England: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jamie Smith (wk), 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Jos Buttler, 7 Liam Livingstone, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood

Pitch and conditions

ODI pitches at the Gaddafi Stadium are almost always flat belters. The venue hosted two matches in the recent tri-series, with New Zealand posting 330 for 6 to beat Pakistan, and then chasing down 305 with six wickets and eight balls to spare. Lahore is expected to be slightly cooler than it was for the tri-series, partly because of rain this week, which ended up hampering England’s preparations on Thursday. Dew is very rarely a factor at this time of year.

Champions Trophy 2024/25, PAK vs NZ 1st Match, Group A Match Preview

Big picture: Pakistan vs New Zealand (again)

We live in a time when the ODI is starved for attention, with the older sibling commanding instant respect for its age and wisdom and the younger one bawling at full lung capacity if you dare to look away while it cartwheels around the room. For all that, the middle child never fails to remind us how captivating it can be whenever a global tournament comes along. The last two ODI World Cups produced so many classics between them, and so many passages of play that showcased the variety of skills that this format can both compress and give breathing room to.

Given how little we’ve seen of it over the last year-and-a-half or thereabouts, then, our appetite for the ODI should be at its peak, even if the Champions Trophy remains an awkward fit in the calendar and the interests of the ICC’s member boards. So much has happened since Sarfaraz Ahmed lifted this trophy eight years ago, enough for everyone to forget that it even exists, but here we are now, and here it is once again.

We have Pakistan, the defending champions and (co-ish) hosts, to start us off, and they’ll face familiar foes in the tournament-opener. No visiting team has played more ODIs in this country than New Zealand’s 11 since the start of 2019, and they begin this Champions Trophy a mere five days after beating Pakistan in the final of an ODI tri-series. Karachi hosted that match, and will host this one too.

It says something about the two teams that New Zealand and Pakistan finished fourth and fifth – just inside and just outside the knockouts spots – on the league tables of both the 2019 and 2023 World Cups, and that Pakistan won the head-to-head meetings both times. It speaks of two teams with potentially title-winning strengths as well as title-squandering flaws, and this, perhaps, makes it the ideal contest to kick things off.

Form guide

Pakistan LWLWW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
New Zealand WWWLW

In the spotlight

He’s gone 21 innings without an ODI hundred, and while this wouldn’t be abnormal for most batters, Babar Azam isn’t most batters. That sequence only includes two single-digit scores, so it isn’t as if he’s been struggling, but few things will bring as much joy to Pakistan at the start of a global event on home soil as a big score from their until-recently-irreproachable run machine. He’s batting at the top of the order now rather than No. 3, so a score of significance will also ease any doubts Pakistan may have about the structure of their line-up.

In the recently concluded tri-series, New Zealand’s spinners finished with a combined economy rate of 4.41, which was remarkable considering their Pakistan and South Africa counterparts went at 5.67 and 5.94 respectively. It speaks to the quality of Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell, who picked up five wickets apiece during the tri-series at near-identical averages and economy rates. They form as enviable a spin combination as any in this tournament: a left-arm fingerspinner and an offspinner, both extremely handy with the bat.

Team news: Rauf boost for Pakistan

Haris Rauf played no part in the recent ODI tri-series after going off the field with a side strain during the opening game against New Zealand. He has been bowling in the nets in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy, though, and Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan was confident he would be fit to start the tournament-opener. This should leave Pakistan able to pick a full-strength XI.

Pakistan (possible): 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Babar Azam, 3 Saud Shakeel, 4 Mohammad Rizwan (capt & wk), 5 Salman Agha, 6 Tayyab Tahir, 7 Khushdil Shah, 8 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Abrar Ahmed.

New Zealand go into the Champions Trophy with two of their original fast-bowling selections – Lockie Ferguson and Ben Sears – out of the tournament. There’s also doubt over whether Rachin Ravindra – who hasn’t played a game since being struck on the head by the ball while fielding during the first match of the tri-series – will be fit to start, but the opener has been batting during training sessions in the lead-up to this tournament. New Zealand will take a call on him after their training session on Tuesday, with Will Young likely to open alongside Devon Conway should they decide not to risk Ravindra. Ferguson’s replacement Kyle Jamieson will not arrive in Karachi in time to be available for the first game.

New Zealand: 1 Rachin Ravindra/Will Young, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Michael Bracewell, 8 Mitchell Santner (capt), 9 Matt Henry, 10 Jacob Duffy, 11 Will O’Rourke.

Pitch and conditions

Karachi hosted the last two matches of the recent tri-series, and they ended up as extremely dissimilar contests. On February 12, South Africa posted 352, the highest-ever total achieved at the venue, but that record only lasted a few hours as Pakistan hunted it down with an over to spare. Two days later, Will O’Rourke bagged four wickets and the unhittable Santner took 2 for 20 in his ten overs as Pakistan, electing to bat first in the final, were bundled out for 242, a total that New Zealand chased down with five wickets and 28 balls to spare.

What sort of surface will the National Stadium serve up on Wednesday, then? Recent history suggests this is a testing venue for fast bowlers in ODIs, as their combined average of 33.67 and economy rate of 6.02 over this decade would attest. Where Lahore has tended to be just as harsh to spinners, however, Karachi has given them a modicum of respite; while their wickets have come at 45.50, they have only gone at 5.11 per over.

Going by recent trends, pitches in global tournaments have tended to be good batting surfaces with something for bowlers to work with: the last three ICC ODI events – the 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2019 and 2023 World Cups – finished with overall run rates of 5.54, 5.59 and 5.82 respectively.

Wednesday is expected to be a warm day in Karachi with a high of 29 degrees Celsius, and little to no chance of rain.

Stats and trivia

Tri-Nation 2024/25, PAK vs SA 3rd Match Match Preview

Big Picture: The knockout before the knockout

The original Champions Trophy started as a knockout tournament so, as we build up to this year’s edition, here’s a bit of a throwback: Wednesday’s match between Pakistan and South Africa in the mini tri-series is a winner-takes-all affair, with New Zealand already through to Saturday’s final. It won’t be quite so do-or-die in the Champions Trophy, but groups of four mean that teams can only really afford one slip up from the outset, which makes this match excellent practice for both these sides.

On recent form, Pakistan have the upper hand over South Africa, who they clean swept 3-0 in December on South African soil for the first time. The result must be caveated, with the disclaimer that South Africa were understrength, though Pakistan won’t (and shouldn’t) care about that.

What they will be interested in is that South Africa are still hamstrung. They are without half of their Champions Trophy squad with Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada only due to arrive in Pakistan on the weekend.

To make full use of any advantage, Pakistan’s batting will have to perform better, after they were dismissed for 252 by New Zealand on Saturday and lost nine wickets for 149 after getting off to a decent start. Their middle order will be under pressure but no more than South Africa’s bowling attack, which wasn’t unable to defend 304 and lacked bite in their tri-series opener. They have been reinforced by the pace of Corbin Bosch and Kwena Maphaka but will need to combine that with discipline to challenge for a place in the final.

What’s at stake is more than just the trophy: the opportunity to have one more competitive match before the Champions Trophy starts, and for Pakistan, to have a dress rehearsal for the tournament opener. They play New Zealand on February 19 in Karachi so being able to face them five days earlier at the same venue will be an added bonus. South Africa also stay in Karachi for their first match against Afghanistan but before they think of that, they’ll want to break a losing streak that has lasted five matches.

Form guide: SA’s unwanted streak

Pakistan: LWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa: LLLLL

In the spotlight: Fakhar Zaman and Tabraiz Shamsi

After 15 months on the sidelines, Fakhar Zaman made his comeback with 84 off 69 balls and showed both the power and the pace to help Pakistan chase a big score. They didn’t get there, but the early signs from Fakhar are good. He was especially confident in taking on the short ball from Will O’Rourke in Lahore and was aggressive against New Zealand’s spinners. Bear in mind that Fakhar averaged 50.82 and scored four hundreds when he last played in 2023 and it seems like he has picked up where he left off. In Saim Ayub’s injury-enforced absence, Pakistan seemed to have found the perfect replacement. Now, it’s for Fakhar to show consistency.

Tabraiz Shamsi has bowled 15 overs in four matches (across formats) and it’s been 15 overs since he last took a wicket. He had a quiet SA20 for Jo’burg Super Kings, but the time is coming for Shamsi to step up, especially as South Africa have gone into the Champions Trophy with just two specialist spinners despite at least two others being in good form. Bjorn Fortuin and George Linde had good SA20s and though they are usually sidelined because they can’t get past Keshav Maharaj, with a lot of white-ball cricket in the subcontinent in the next year, South Africa might be considering their options. Since Imran Tahir’s retirement in 2019, Shamsi has been South Africa’s premier attacking spinner and there’s no better time to show it than now.

Team news: Rauf unlikely to feature

Haris Rauf left the field after bowling 6.2 overs against New Zealand with a side strain and while it is deemed a low-grade injury, he will not be risked for this match. Mohammad Hasnain could play in his place. Pakistan may also consider a change in the batting line-up, with Saud Shakeel a possible replacement for Tayyab Tahir.

Pakistan (possible): 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Babar Azam, 3 Kamran Ghulam, 4 Mohammad Rizwan (capt), 5 Salman Agha, 6 Tayyab Tahir/Saud Shakeel, 7 Khusdil Shah, 8 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Abrar Ahmed, 11 Mohammad Hasnain

Tony de Zorzi and Corbin Bosch who are both in the Champions Trophy squad as well as 18-year left-arm quick Kwena Maphaka have joined the South African touring party and are available for selection. De Zorzi and Bosch both played in the SA20 final on Saturday but may be pulled into the XI, along with Heinrich Klaasen, as South Africa aim to push for a spot in the final. Don’t be surprised if Lungi Ngidi sits this one out, after bowling seven overs – his most since last October – as he continues to work towards full fitness. Maphaka could be selected in his place.

South Africa (possible): 1 Temba Bavuma (capt), 2 Matthew Breetzke, 3 Tony de Zorzi, 4 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 Wiaan Mulder, 7 Senuran Muthusamy, 8 Corbin Bosch, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Tabraiz Shamsi, 11 Kwena Maphaka

Pitch and conditions: Expect another high-scoring game

The series moves to Karachi, which last hosted an ODI in May 2023. Then, New New Zealand successfully defended 299 against Pakistan. In six ODIs here since January 2023, the average first-innings score has been 286 and the team batting first has won five out of those six games. That suggests another fairly high-scoring encounter but it may not be the pitch that’s most in focus. Like Lahore, Karachi has undergone significant upgrades ahead of the Champions Trophy including new dressing rooms and hospitality areas, an increased capacity of 5000, two new digital replay screens and 350 LED lights for improved broadcast coverage.

Stats and trivia

South Africa have lost their last five ODIs, which puts them on their longest losing streak since 2004. They have previously lost ten matches in a row in 2004 and 1994.
The last time Pakistan failed to make a tri-series final was the Morocco Cup in 2002, when South Africa and Sri Lanka competed for the trophy. Pakistan have since played in six other tri-series, but only won one: the Kitply Cup between themselves, Bangladesh and India in 2008. Pakistan beat India by 25 runs in the final.

Quotes

“Tomorrow is obviously a big day for the series. We played Pakistan not too long ago, but obviously Pakistan in their conditions are a different beast, so I’m looking forward to that. We just got together today, basically the boys only arrived at 2 o’clock this morning. For the guys that are new to the squad, we’ve got to do a little bit of homework, we’ve got a nice day out to face these conditions and see what it is like. Obviously there’s a bigger picture in mind as well. The ICC [Champions] trophy is also in play next week, so it’s a good exercise for us. If we can knock them out and play in the final, and the home country is not involved, that will at least put a smile on my face.”
Heinrich Klaasen explains the importance of what is effectively a semi-final

Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s correspondent for South Africa and women’s cricket

February 11, 2025

SA20 2024/25, MICT vs SEC Final Match Preview

It’s ending how it began, with a match between defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) and highly-rated but underachieving Mumbai Indians Cape Town (MICT). And this time it’s in the final.

There will be either a new winner or the same one crowned in front of a full house at South Africa’s premier cricket venue: the Wanderers, where no rain is forecast. What more could anyone want? A close game, perhaps. If there is one criticism of this edition of the SA20 it’s that result margins have been too big with only six tight matches out of 30 in the group stage – defined as games won by 10 or fewer runs of with six or fewer balls to spare – and one of the three qualifiers. No one quite knows why and SEC captain Aiden Markram put it down to either “coincidence,” or “guys are getting really big scores and then to chase it down is tough or starting badly with the bat,” and hoped for a “close, entertaining,” last match.

Whether he really means that is doubtful after SEC had to play two games in two days to come through the Eliminator and Qualifier 2, and will now play a third in four days. Are they exhausted? “There are pros and cons,” Markram said. “We’re starting to do some good things and we’ve got answers to some questions. But the other side of it is rest and being completely fresh physically and mentally for the final.”

The break Markram spoke of was the privilege of MICT, who had three days off. Rashid Khan confirmed he used the downtime to “just sit in my room and watch Netflix a lot.” His series of choice? “Prison Break. It gives you an idea of how to get out of difficulties.” How so? “Sometimes you forget as a captain so I have the idea to write things on my arm where you can write what’s going to happen in the next over.”

It’s been done, of course. There are incidents of captains having so many team changes that they’ve written them on their palms and Scotland’s Mark Watt famously remembered his tactics with a cheat sheet that he pulled out of his pocket at the 2022 T20 World Cup and though Rashid may joke about it, he is unlikely to need it.

MICT have been, by a distance, the most clinical of the six teams in this edition of the SA20. They won seven of their 10 league games – no team has won more in the group stage – qualified directly for the final on their first attempt and have completely turned themselves around from the team that finished last in the previous two editions. With a squad laden with players from the Highveld (Ryan Rickelton, Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks, Kagiso Rabada, Connor Esterhuizen and Delano Potgieter have all played at the Lions while Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis and Thomas Kaber all play down the road at the Titans), some would go as far as to say they are favourites, but they’d do that at their peril.

After three losses from their opening three games, SEC are one of the last two standing. They’ve dug deep and scrapped, had their reserves tested and relied heavily on their two biggest national names: South Africa’s T20 captain Markram and premier allrounder Marco Jansen but they’re on track for a three-peat. If they do that, they will draw comparisons with South Africa’s national rugby team, the Springboks, who have won the World Cup three times and are seen as the ultimate symbol of national success. Not bad company to keep, but first they’ll need to overcome some challenges. We outline the main match-ups here.

The batters: Test openers vs T20 stars

The first clear point of difference between the finalists is how their opening pairs have performed. MICT, who have mostly used Rickelton and van der Dussen, had the leading top two of the group phase, with 523 runs and an average of 58.11. SEC had the least successful opening partnership, who averaged just 12.40.

Both Rickelton and van der Dussen’s entire domestic careers have been played at the Wanderers, which is an obvious advantage. “To have those players around where they give you the best information and the ideas about the wicket and the conditions, is so great,” Rashid said.

While SEC’s Tony de Zorzi grew up on the Highveld, both he and David Bedingham play at the coast (Cape Town, ironically) and neither are what you would call obvious T20 picks. Bedingham acknowledged to ESPNcricinfo that he is still trying to find the sweet spot in his short-format game while de Zorzi showed glimpses of it in his 49-ball 78 in Qualifier 2 against Paarl Royals. Both are in fairly good touch, which bodes well for Markram, especially as he has taken a personal interest in de Zorzi’s development.

“He’s a hell of a player but most importantly, I think he’s a really strong character mentally. He sets high standards and he’s mentally very strong as well,” he said. “Over the last few years he’s been playing some really good cricket and been scoring massive runs. I’m really chuffed for him last night that he did well and could sort of now just settle down and get into the competition just before the final. He’ll feel a bit more comfortable at the crease now.”

This idea that the competition only starts at the end is something de Zorzi said Markram had mentioned before the knockouts, as a way to remind the team that everything they’ve done to get here is just preparation. The real test is now.

The bowlers: Battle of the seamers (keep an eye on Ottneil Baartman and Corbin Bosch)

Although the Wanderers has turned this season, it is known as the pace paradise in South African cricket and SEC, in particular, will hope it plays to reputation. Their seamers were the most successful of the group stage with 41 wickets and Marco Jansen – his height advantage means he often gets extra bounce and the regularity with which he takes wickets in the powerplay has made him the most difficult bowler to face across the tournament.

But pressure has not always been his friend and, by his own admission, he gets nervous in big moments and this one could be bigger than he thinks. SEC are sweating on the fitness of Ottneil Baartman, who left the field in his fourth over in Qualifier 2, and was assessed on Friday. His participation is in doubt, which could open the door for 21-year old Andile Simelane to play but would cost SEC experience.

On MICT’s side, they have Rabada and Trent Boult but their leading seamer is Corbin Bosch, with 10 wickets. There’s extra motivation for him to show what he can do in the final: South Africa have yet to name a replacement for Anrich Nortje in their Champions Trophy squad and with Gerald Coetzee injured, Bosch is the front-runner. He offers pace, with speeds above 145kph, and a good showing in a crunch match will make him impossible to ignore.

The coaches: Adi Birrell and Robbie P

The people behind the scenes have no direct impact on what will happen on the field but the work they’ve done has helped put the teams in this position and has to be acknowledged.

For SEC, Adi Birrell has masterminded two titles and has them on the brink of a third and his players are never short of praise for the kind of change-room environment he has created. “He’s seen so many things but just remains really calm, almost like a grandfather figure for us,” Markram said, quickly realising his terminology may not be seen as complimentary by his 64-year old coach. “He’s going to hate me but he knows anyone can chat to him, he manages each individual in the team with a lot of care which the players really appreciate and his values are really strong. He’s one of the best for sure.”

MICT’s Robin Peterson has endured a tough two seasons but after first tasting success at the MLC with MI New York, where Rashid was also his captain, he has transferred to the SA20. “He is someone who always gives you that positive energy and that’s what you need as a captain,” Rashid said. “With him, I have that very good understanding and I’ve learned so many things from him. He keeps the environment very positive which is something which really helped in MLC and here as well.”

Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s correspondent for South Africa and women’s cricket

February 7, 2025

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