England, New Zealand kicked aside as Nasser Hussain predicts finalists of ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has shared his predictions for the finalists of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which begins on Wednesday, February 19. The cricketer-turned-commentator predicted that India and Pakistan will make it to the final of the much-awaited Champions Trophy.

India and Pakistan played in the ICC Champions Trophy final in 2017, where the Sarfaraz Ahmed-led team secured a dominant 180-run victory. Pakistan, the reigning champions, will be hoping to defend their title. The two arch-rivals are set to play each other in a high-stakes match in Dubai on February 23.

Nasser Hussain Predicts Finalists for Champions Trophy 2025

Nasser Hussain predicted Australia and England would advance from Group B to the semifinals. For the final, he backed India to defeat Pakistan and secure their third Champions Trophy title.

Hussain said that Australia were his tournament favorites, but injuries to key players changed his stance. He added that India are favorites despite the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami’s recent return from injury. The former batter said that playing all their matches in Dubai is an advantage for India.

"I had Australia down to win the Champions Trophy six weeks ago, but since the loss of their three key seamers and two all-rounders, I now see India as firm favorites. Yes, they are without Jasprit Bumrah, who is the best cricketer on the planet at the moment. Mohammed Shami has also just come back from injury and looked a yard short of a gallop in the games against England," Nasser Hussain wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.

"But India have so much depth with the bat, with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer, and so many spin options, who are all all-rounders as well. Another advantage India have is that they will play all their matches in Dubai, so they don’t have to travel and will get very used to the conditions," he added.

Afghanistan Will Be a Threat - Nasser Hussain

Nasser Hussain picked Afghanistan as the dark horse of the Champions Trophy. While he did not predict they to reach the semifinals, Hussain stated that they could cause upsets if conditions favored them. Hussain credited head coach Jonathan Trott for Afghanistan’s progress in recent years.

"While I actually haven’t got them going through to the semi-final, there is a lot of jeopardy in this tournament. If the conditions are there for Afghanistan, they will absolutely be a threat. Under the coaching of Jonathan Trott, Afghanistan have made incredible progress," Hussain wrote in the same column.

Champions Trophy 2025 Set to Kick Off with Match Between Pakistan and New Zealand

Afghanistan reached their first-ever ICC event semifinal in the 2024 T20 World Cup. They also registered a win against England in the 2023 World Cup in Delhi. The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led team is in Group B alongside Australia, England, and South Africa.

Pakistan is set to face New Zealand in the Champions Trophy opener today (February 19) in Karachi. India will begin their campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on Thursday, February 20. Pakistan will have an advantage of playing at home but suffered two defeats to New Zealand in the recent tri-series.

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