Michael Vaughan Mocks Pakistan After India Snatch Champions Trophy Final Hosting Rights

With India’s victory over Australia in the first semifinal of the Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Pakistan loses a golden opportunity to host the final of an ICC event that they are hosting after nearly 29 years.

The Green Brigade is already out of the tournament, the last hope for them was to see the final taking place in their country. But India ensures that it won’t take place either from here on.

BCCI refuses to send Indian team to Pakistan for Champions Trophy 2025

Many experts and the current players of the tournament felt that the Rohit Sharma-led side had taken an unfair advantage by playing all of their games, including the semifinal and the final at the same venue for two weeks. Rassie van der Dussen, South Africa’s middle order has called it a huge advantage of practicing at the same place and stayingin the same venue.

Also Read: Varun Chakaravarthy Fires Shots At Rohit Sharma Just After 1st Man of the Match Award In ODIs

But before the start of the tournament, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wrote to the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to inform them of the decision not to travel to the neighboring country for the political relationship.

The PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, was not prepared to accept the hybrid model at the initial stage but later admitted the decision when the ICC decided that none of these two countries would host each other in the next three years of ICC competitions.

This allows the blue brigade to play their games in Dubai and go with a spin-heavy bowling attack. In both their last two encounters against New Zealand and Australia, they went with four spinners in the side. The conditions in Pakistan are different, where 340 is an average first innings total.

Michael Vaughan takes a dig at Pakistan for Champions Trophy 2025 hosting

The former England captain, Michael Vaughan, has taken a dig at the hosting rights of the Pakistan side for the Champions Trophy, as he sarcastically stated that Dubai is hosting the tournament, with little involvement coming from the Green Brigade in the competition.

“Dubai has hosted the #ChampionsTrophy brilliantly.” Vaughan wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The Mohammad Rizwan-led side started their campaign of the 50-over event with a defeat against New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi, where they failed to chase down 321 runs in the second innings, thanks to a slow knock from Babar Azam, which came in 90 balls and received so much criticism.

In the very next game, Pakistan could post an average score of 241 runs in the first innings against India in Dubai before Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 100 carried India over the line. The final group-stage game for the defending champions ended in a washout in Rawalpindi against Bangladesh.

Also Read: KL Rahul To Be Thrown Out Of Champions Trophy 2025 Semi-Final, As Rohit Sharma Gets Angry

In just six days, they got the elimination tag in a home ICC event, despite winning the last three consecutive ODI series in Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Dubai has hosted the #ChampionsTrophy brilliantly .. 😜😜

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) March 4, 2025

South Africa to face New Zealand in the second semifinal of the Champions Trophy 2025

South Africa will face New Zealand in the second semifinal of the Champions Trophy 2025 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The winners of the side will face Rohit Sharma’s army in the final on March 09 in Dubai.

Both sides have done well in the group stage of the competition. The Proteas didn’t lose a single game of the league stage, while the Blackcaps, after two successive wins, lost their previous fixture against India in Dubai.