How many ODIs will all eight teams play before the Champions Trophy?

New Delhi [India], August 8 (ANI): The upcoming 2025 Champions Trophy, set to take place between February 19 and March 9, will see varied preparation schedules for the eight participating teams.

The dominance of franchise leagues has significantly impacted the frequency of ODI and T20I matches, despite the structured schedule provided by the World Test Championship for Test matches.

Here’s a breakdown of the matches each team will play in the ODI format from August 8 leading up to the Champions Trophy, as per Wisden.

Pakistan’s ODI schedule begins in November with a tour to Australia. Following that, they will travel to Zimbabwe and South Africa in December, and New Zealand in January, each featuring three ODIs. In February, they will host New Zealand and South Africa for a triangular tournament with a double round-robin league and a final, reminiscent of 1990s formats. This series will add four or five more ODIs to their tally, making it 16 or 17 matches in total.

Afghanistan’s ODI schedule is sparse, with only three confirmed ODIs against Zimbabwe in December. A previously scheduled series against Bangladesh was postponed indefinitely, leaving their total matches uncertain, pending any rescheduling before the Champions Trophy.

Australia’s preparations include an extensive tour of the British Isles in September, where they will play three ODIs against Ireland and five against England. They will then host Pakistan for three more ODIs in November, rounding off their schedule with 11 matches before the tournament.

Bangladesh will play Afghanistan in India or the UAE, maybe rescheduled before the Champions Trophy. If that does not happen, they will play three ODIs against West Indies in November.

After hosting Australia for five matches, England will tour India and play three ODIs against them in January before heading over to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy.

India will play only three ODIs before the Champions Trophy, all three against England during the series in January next year.

Barring Pakistan, New Zealand has the busiest pre-Champions Trophy schedule among the eight teams. They will play three matches in Sri Lanka in November, before hosting Sri Lanka in December and Pakistan in January for a three-match series. After that they will compete with the hosts and South Africa for a triangular tournament in Pakistan, they will play an extra game if they qualify for the final.

Pakistan will tour South Africa and will play three ODIs in December. These will remain their only games until the tri-nation tournament in Pakistan.