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The Champions Trophy begins Wednesday after a turbulent accumulation that saw the tournament separate between Pakistan and Dubai, and with England in the face of calls to boycott their match against Afghanistan.
The event, considered second after the World Cup in the match of a day, takes place until March 9 and is the first world cricket tournament organized by Pakistan in almost three decades.
The matches of India will however be played in the United Arab Emirates after the financial superpower of the sport refused to visit their neighbor for long -standing political tensions.
A one -month deadlock ended in December when the International Cricket Council said that India would play its games in Dubai.
It increases the prospect of the final of the centerpiece of eight nations which takes place there, rather than in Pakistan, if India goes so far – a good luck since they are the favorites to lift the trophy.
Arch-Rivals India and Pakistan, who only compete in international competitions due to politics, compete in Dubai on February 23 in the group’s phase.
England plays Afghanistan three days later in Lahore in a match that was met with a backlash in certain districts in Great Britain.
More than 160 British politicians called for a boycott in response to the ban of the Taliban government of women in sport.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of England, Richard Thompson, promised that the match would go, saying that an “coordinated international response” by the Cricket community would achieve more than unilateral action.
The Champions Trophy will be the first ICC event in Pakistan since the co-organization of the 1996 World Cup with India and Sri Lanka.
Karachi and Rawalpindi are the other Pakistani cities that will organize games.
Pakistan has become an area prohibited for foreign teams after the Sri Lankan team on a visit was attacked by armed men in 2009, making eight people who died and injuring several players.
But with improved security in most of the country, international cricket returned to Pakistan in 2020.
– Favorites from India –
India, Pakistan, New Zealand and the Bangladesh forms group have a time in Australia, England, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Two teams from each group qualify for the semi-finals of Dubai and Lahore.
Pakistan is reigning champion, having defeated India in the final in 2017 at the London oval.
But he is twice winners of India who are the favorites, with the drummer Superstar Virat Kohli hoping to overcome a bad shape of shape according to his standards from top to bottom.
It could be the last 36 -year -old Hourra on the international scene, Captain Rohit Sharma is also likely to retire after the tournament.
“India plays a superb versatile cricket and is therefore one of the favorites for the Champions Trophy,” said the former skipper of India, Sunil Gavaskar, to AFP.
“The other teams, in my opinion, to monitor are the defending champions Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa.”
India will however miss Ace Pace at the Jasprit Bumrah spearhead.
Australia beat the guests of India to win the World Cup for a day in 2023, but they lack several key players.
Their wonderful attack of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were all out.
Coupled with the sudden retirement of the ODIs of Marcus Stoinis and the injuries of Mitchell Marsh – the two versatile key – and Australia suddenly seem vulnerable.
They were well beaten 2-0 in Sri Lanka in a series of two games last week. Sri Lanka failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy.
Pakistan will open the ninth edition of the Champions Trophy with a match against New Zealand in Karachi on Wednesday.
The co-hosts are unpredictable, as they showed in the last edition of the tournament, losing against India by 124 points in the opening match before winning the final against them by 180 points.
England enters the competition under a cloud, after being upgraded by India in a T20 series and a day in the head.
With quality spinners led by Rashid Khan, Afghanistan is dangerous.
They shocked England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the ODI 2023 World Cup and reached the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup last year.
SH / ECL / PST
