Pakistani cricketer Fakhar Zaman knows a thing or two about winning the Champions Trophy. After all, the swashbuckling southpaw batter was a part of the CT-winning PAK squad in 2017. So, when he predicts the semi-finalists of the tournament — it ought to be taken seriously.
Bold Prediction by Fakhar Zaman
While talking on Basit Ali’s Youtube channel, Fakhar Zaman predicted — that teams like Australia, England and New Zealand will fail to shine, and teams likes Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and South Africa will fight it out for the trophy. “Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, and South Africa are the teams I believe will reach the semi-finals,” Fakhar said.
Meanwhile, the Champions Trophy schedule was finally released by the ICC on Tuesday, after much delay caused by logistical issues — as all of India’s matches will be held in Dubai. The most-anticipated clash of all, IND vs PAK match will also be held in Dubai, on Feb 23. But India play their first match vs Bangladesh on Feb 20, and last match on March 2 vs New Zealanad.
No Australia Champions Trophy Semis
As far as the rest of the tournament is concerned, Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi will host the remaining matches. If India fails to make it to the final, Lahore will host the summit clash on March 9 — otherwise Dubai will remain as the venue. Also, there will be a reserve day, just for the final, in case of rain.
Till now, Team India has not revealed their Champions Trophy squad. Apart from the usual suspects, there aren’t many changes that one can expect; with Shreyas Iyer most likely to come back to the Indian fold. The one to miss out could be batter Sanju Samson, who is currently nursing an injury.
Champions Trophy Groups:
Group A: Pakistan, India, New Zealand, Bangladesh
Group B: South Africa, Australia, Afghanistan, England.
