Rawalpindi (Pakistan), Feb 24: The reigning World Champions Australia will lock horns with South Africa in a highly-anticipated clash in the Champions Trophy 2025 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. With both teams securing dominant wins in their opening matches, the contest promises to be a crucial battle in shaping the Group B standings.

Australia announced their intent early in the tournament with a thrilling chase against England, overhauling a daunting 352-run target in Lahore to win by five wickets. South Africa, on the other hand, flexed their muscles against Afghanistan in Karachi, cruising to a comprehensive 107-run victory. With momentum on their side, both teams will look to consolidate their position in the race for the semi-finals.

Australia might be without several members of their 2023 World Cup-winning squad, but their opening performance showed they remain a force to be reckoned with. Skipper Pat Cummins, alongside pace spearheads Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, is missing from the tournament due to injuries or personal reasons, while the shock retirement of Marcus Stoinis has further thinned their all-round options.

Despite these setbacks, Australia found match-winners in their first game, with wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis leading the charge with a superb century.

Veteran Steve Smith will be key at the top, especially with Marnus Labuschagne holding the middle order together. The Rawalpindi pitch is expected to favour stroke-makers, making it an ideal setting for Australia’s aggressive approach. With the ball, Ben Dwarshuis impressed on his debut against England and could once again be pivotal in the absence of seasoned pacers.

South Africa’s dominant display against Afghanistan underlined their title credentials, with Ryan Rickelton emerging as the standout performer.

The young opener not only struck a century but also kept wickets in the absence of Heinrich Klaasen, who remains a doubtful starter for this game due to an elbow injury. Should Klaasen be unavailable, Rickelton will again be tasked with dual responsibilities.

Rawalpindi’s surface is historically a paradise for batters, with good bounce and pace early in the innings. However, as the match wears on, spinners could find some assistance, making middle-over battles crucial.

Dew might be a factor under lights, which could tempt the captain to win the toss to bowl first and take advantage of improved chasing conditions later in the game.

Recent ODI matches at the venue have seen high scores and successful chases, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the contest.

Australia and South Africa share a fierce rivalry in the 50-over format, with the Proteas holding a slight edge in their ODI battles. In 110 matches between the two sides, South Africa have won 55, while Australia have emerged victorious on 51 occasions. Three matches have ended in ties, and one had no result.

When: February 25, Tuesday

Where: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium

Time: The match is scheduled to begin at 2:30 pm IST while the toss will take place at 2 pm.

Broadcast details: The match will be broadcast on Star Sports Network.

Live Streaming: The match will be live-streamed on JioHotstar.

Squads:

Australia: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa.

Travelling reserve: Cooper Connolly.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Corbin Bosch.

Travelling reserve: Kwena Maphaka

New Delhi, Feb 24: In the 2025 Champions Trophy, India’s middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer has made his place as a solid number four batter and former batting coach Sanjay Bangar believes the right-handed batter is always trying to get better and better with every outing.

At the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, Iyer continued his good run by making 56 runs off 67 balls and added 114 runs for the third wicket with Virat Kohli, who went on to hit an unbeaten hundred, as the partnership proved pivotal in India’s chasing down 242 with 45 balls to spare.

“He is somebody who is very hardworking in the sense that he has gone through a lot of challenges. He has missed out playing Test cricket because of some injury concerns and knows the value of playing for the nation. And that’s when, once he got that big performance in the World Cup, there was never a question that who is going to be India’s number four.”

“So, he is a player who is always trying to get better and better. As for his approach against the short ball, I am very happy that earlier he used to back off to the left side and hit towards the offside. But now he is happy to develop a method wherein if he feels that he has to be defensive, he is defensive. And when he wants to attempt the shots, there is a high percentage of shots which he has control over,” said Bangar on JioHotstar.

Navjot Singh Sidhu, the former India batter, believes Iyer is someone who injects momentum into an ODI innings for the Rohit Sharma-led side. “There is one thing that separates him from the rest. In skating over thin ice, your safety is speed. This man gives you that speed. See, you look at the pace at which the scoreboard is moving- Pakistan, after the first 34 or 35 overs were 134 or 140-odd.”

“First 10 overs, India was 60-70. And when this man comes, he puts on his skating shoes and is invariably changing gear from the first gear to the fourth gear or the fifth gear and then he comes back. So, he paces his inning. 67 balls, 56. It’s not 95 balls, scoring a 50. So, there are qualities that Shreyas Iyer has.”

Former Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray on Monday slammed trolls for doubting cricketer Mohammed Shami and writer Javed Akhtar’s patriotism because of their religion during the India vs Pakistan match in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy.

Taking to X, Aaditya wrote, “The worst of where our andh bhakts are taking our country to.”

“Doubting Shami and Javed Akhtar ji on their patriotism because of their religion. Both proud Indians, contributing actively to Indian glory through their own skill,” he added.

Shiv Sena (UBT) pointed out that BJP leader and former union minister Anurag Thakur was spotted watching the match with former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi, who has been “outspokenly anti-Bharat.”

“But the same trolls are too afraid to speak on a BJP leader and former minister who sat with a cricketer who has been outspokenly anti-Bharat. The very same former minister whose party tells every other opposition member to ‘go to Pakistan’ and this minister screams ‘desh ke gaddaron ko’ on the streets,” he said.

Highlighting both incidents, he questioned, “Aaj desh ka gaddar kaun hai?”

Aaditya further said that if the politician was from any party other than the BJP, it would have resulted in FIRs, protests, being called anti-India, and being told to go to Pakistan.

Targeting BJP for its ‘divisive’ politics, he said, “Sadly, this is what the BJP’s philosophy is – create divisions within our own country, make us fight within our own country – divide Hindus and Muslims – so that BJP can win. But their bosses and boss’s families can chill, party with those from Pakistan, especially those who have been openly anti-India.”

Upping his attack on the BJP, he said “this is the same BJP-run BCCI that played cricket with Bangladesh (in an informal tournament by invitation) when the BJP’s social media ecosystem and media told us that Hindus in Bangladesh faced violence.”

“BJP now is: Elections done, Hindus forgotten, Patriotism forgotten. Or is it ‘time please’ for BJP from patriotism,” the Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA said.

“When they teach you patriotism and Hindutva again, show them this photo of their leader enjoying the match with the anti-India cricketer and ask the BJP if they are ok with this? My Patriotism and Hindutva is clear: respect mine, I respect yours. But no compromise with hate – of any kind, from anyone,” he concluded his post with these remarks.

Along with the post, Aaditya shared several screenshots in which trolls targeted Javed Akhtar and Mohammed Shami over their religious beliefs. He also shared a picture of Anurag Thakur and Shahid Afridi and a screenshot of a news article about Shahid Afridi’s anti-India remarks.