ICC Champions Trophy Warm-up Schedule And Squads Revealed; No Fixture For India

The ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy is just around the corner, and all the teams have started their last-minute preparations. Pakistan and New Zealand will face each other in the opening clash on February 19 at the National Stadium in Karachi.

A few teams are continuously playing the ODI format in bilateral series, while a few will hope to get some valuable game time in the warm-up encounters.

No warm-up fixtures in the Champions Trophy for India and Australia

India just finished their three-match ODI series against England with a 3-0 clean sweep. Their bowlers enjoyed a decent amount of overs under their belt, while the batter spent time in the middle to get back the 50-over rhythm. They will leave for Dubai on February 15 before their opening game against Bangladesh five days later.

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England had a terrible time in the event as none of the batters had any answer against the quality spinners. They started well in the first six overs but failed to keep the momentum intact for the rest of the contest. Their bowlers struggled to find the right line and length on these subcontinent surfaces.

Both of these sides won’t participate in the warm-up fixture. The Jos Buttler-led side’s very first game of the Champions Trophy is against Australia on February 22 at the Gaddafi Stadium. The Steve Smith-led side is engaged with Sri Lanka in a two-match ODI series, the last of which will take place on February 14.

On the same day, Pakistan will play New Zealand in the tri-series final in Karachi, and a few South African players have yet to arrive.

Schedule of warm-up fixtures for the Champions Trophy

The Champions Trophy warm-up games will take place between February 14 and 17, the week before the main event. Afghanistan, South Africa, and Bangladesh will play these games on February 14 and 16, respectively. Afghanistan will also play a warm-up clash against the Blackcaps on February 16. That will be the final round of preparations for all the sides ahead of the tournament.

The fixture against New Zealand on February 16 will be in Karachi.

Warm-up squads for Champions Trophy

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named three separate Shaheens’ squads for the fixtures. On February 14, Shadab Kahn will the side against Hashmatullah Shahidi’s army in Lahore. On February 17, two Shaheens teams will be in action in Karachi and Dubai.

Mohammad Hurraira will lead against the Proteas in Karachi, while Mohammad Haris will lead the Shaheens against Bangladesh in Dubai.

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Shaheen's squads:

v Afghanistan, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore - Shadab Khan (captain), Abdul Faseeh, Arafat Minhas, Hussain Talat, Jahandad Khan, Kashif Ali, Mohsin Riaz, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir Khan, Muhammad Akhlaq, Muhammad Imran Randhawa and Muhammad Irfan Khan

v South Africa, National Stadium, Karachi - Mohammad Huraira (captain), Amad Butt, Faisal Akram, Hassan Nawaz, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Maaz Sadaqat, Mehran Mumtaz, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Niaz Khan, Qasim Akram, and Saad Khan

v Bangladesh, ICC Academy, Dubai - Mohammad Haris (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdul Samad, Ali Raza, Azan Awais, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mubashir Khan, Musa Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Sufiyan Moqim and Usama Mir.