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The world feels like it’s falling apart before these games. The air is thick with tension. Nerves are stretched to their limits. And anticipation crosses a fever pitch. But Pakistan’s coach Aaqib Javed does not think the Pakistan-India clash is any different from other games.  “For the cricketers, this is a profession,” Aaqib said. “For them, it definitely is an honour. But, it is a profession. You try your best. In that, you sometimes lose as well. It is a match… one team will win, one will lose. How does it matter? Why so much pressure? Every game is different.…

If you don’t know how big of a deal the Pakistan-India games are, you were either born yesterday, have been living under a rock—or both. There is no shortage of material deciphering why this rivalry gets the most hype. But this time, things are very different. Is there a similar hype? Yes. Are Pakistan again balancing at a knife’s edge for survival before facing India? Check. But what sets this clash apart this time is the fact that the entire build-up to the tournament has actually been about this very game. The schedule was delayed, meetings upon meetings were held.…

An example of a well-worn cricketing cliche is to name every high-stakes England-Australia clash the Ashes. It is irresistible, really—stopping oneself from using the A-word. But it makes the rivalry more marketable. And at a time when both sides are devoid of their usual pomp, such tactics could come in very handy. Coming into the tournament, Australia lost nearly half of their tentative squad, including their lethal, timeless, three-headed pace attack. Replacements were called in, and Steve Smith was handed the captaincy. But does the side still carry their invincible aura? Not quite. That’s why they would need to begin…

Afghanistan have never been a part of any edition of the Champions Trophy before. It makes sense. Only the best eight qualify for it, and the last time this tournament was played Afghanistan hardly ever played the big guys. But now they are the big guys themselves and their skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi wants the world to catch up to that.  They will begin their maiden Champions Trophy campaign against South Africa in Pakistan, a country where they have hardly ever played international cricket. Do they have every reason to succumb to the pressure? Yes. But the Afghanistan skipper is not…

Afghanistan don’t see themselves as underdogs anymore, and it is high time the world accepts them for who they are: brilliant yet astonishingly underrated. They are not just a team that pops into relevance only when discussions about their boycott surface. And with every tournament, they are further debunking the narrative and proving they deserve to be among the best. Their recent performances speak volumes about the kind of team they have become. They defeated Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and England in the ODI World Cup in India and reached the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup last year. Now placed…

Plenty has been happening at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium lately, but a one-day game between two full-member nations hasn’t been part of that plenty since 2018. That changes now. The match between Bangladesh and India will be the first such game in nearly seven years. It’s a clash that wasn’t originally supposed to be here. But after a rollercoaster of discussions, drama, and urgency, here we are. And if you thought the drama ended with scheduling games at an alternative venue, you may need to think again. We’re only on the second game of the Champions Trophy, yet the…

It’s a big day for Pakistan. No matter what lens you view it through, they are at the heart of the action. They are beginning the title defense of the only ICC event they managed to win in 16 years. They are hosting a global tournament for the first time since 1996. They have plenty to prove and even more to disprove, both on and off the field. And all that, with the margin of error razor-thin The first of their three group-stage games is set to be played against New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi. Karachi has…

Afghanistan’s rise in the world of cricket seems almost fictional. Success stories like theirs are usually only confined to fables because, in the real world, you don’t make it to the summit as quickly as they did. This will be their first-ever appearance in the Champions Trophy, but you have been warned, they ought not to be taken lightly. If, in less than 20 days, you find Afghanistan securing a place in the semi-finals, don’t be surprised. They are no longer just underdogs, they are here to win it. And they have every reason to believe they can. For one,…

Australia’s Champions Trophy squad has come together like a group of adults struggling to plan a meetup. Everyone finally agrees on time, but at the last minute, someone cancels. One falls sick, another has an emergency to deal with, and before you know it, half the group has ditched the plan. The past few weeks have been very similar for Australia. Three of their regulars picked injuries (Mitchell Marsh, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood), one backed out for personal reasons (Mitchell Starc), and another decided it was the best time to pull the plug on his career (Marcus Stoinis).  Replacements…

The protocol, when your best batter first starts showing signs of struggle with his form, is that you don’t talk about it, lest you curse it into reality. Some would call it superstition, others, denial. But both Babar Azam and Pakistan are past that stage. They are where the elephant in the room has grown too big to be ignored. And even if they wish to look the other way, the pressing thoughts of a mega-event inching closer each day would not allow that. Babar last scored a century in August 2023, that too against Nepal in a home Asia…