ICC Hall of Famer and former World Cup-winner Ricky Ponting predicted India and Australia as the two finalists of the upcoming mega event, ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 which is scheduled to kick start from February 19 in Pakistan. Ponting also predicted the other two semifinalists of the competition. The former Australian skipper stated that the other two semi-finalists of the tournament will be England and South Africa. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri was also present at the latest The ICC Review episode, and he agreed with Ponting's predictions at the episode.
Speaking to Sanjana Ganesan in a bumper episode of The ICC Review, the duo predicted India and Australia will fight out the final, based on their recent success in big tournaments and star-studded lineups.
"It's hard to go past India and Australia again. Just think about the quality of players in both countries right now, and you look back in recent history when these big finals and big ICC events have come around and inevitably Australia and India are there somewhere," Ponting told The ICC Review.
India and Australia, the two most successful sides in the tournament, having won it twice each in 2002, 2013 and 2006, 2009 respectively, will be looking to add another ICC honour to their ever-growing list of accolades.
The two gigantic cricketing nations also played out the ICC World Test Championship and the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in 2023, where the side from Down Under emerged victorious on both occasions.
But there was another contender in the mix, according to the former Australia skipper. Ponting believed hosts Pakistan could pose a strong challenge to the two teams.
"The other team that is playing some really good cricket at the moment is Pakistan. Their one-day cricket over the last little bit has been absolutely outstanding. We know they're not always the most predictable team in those big tournaments, but they seem like they've sorted things out a little bit," he said.
Led by Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan are coming into 2025 on the back of ODI series wins in Australia and South Africa.
In the previous edition of the Champions Trophy, a young Pakistan side, led by the experienced Sarfaraz Ahmed and a sizzling hundred in the final from Fakhar Zaman, combined with a blistering bowling show, pulled off the job at the Oval, and the hosts will be looking to repeat their heroics.
The element of defending champions will also provide some extra energy to the home side, who beat India to their maiden crown in the 2017 edition. The two sides will tussle it out yet again in a group fixture in Dubai on 23 February.
The Champions Trophy will kickstart on February 19 in Karachi with the hosts playing New Zealand in the opening fixture while the final will take place on March 9.
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