In this article, we present our pick of five bowlers to watch out for in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
Also Read: Can India win the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy?
The tall and fast left-arm seamer from Pakistan has been a revelation since making his senior debut for Pakistan in 2018. There are very few left-arm seamers in world cricket who’ve been as consistent and threatening as the 24-year-old.
Afridi currently has 119 wickets in just 59 matches at an average of 23.14 and a strike rate of 25.26, which is one of the best in the modern era. Moreover, his form and performances since the 2023 ODI World Cup in white-ball cricket have been exceptional. After picking 18 wickets in nine matches at the ODI World Cup, he picked up 15 wickets in six matches against Australia and South Africa, while in T20Is he has 27 wickets in 18 matches.
With the pitches in Pakistan traditionally favouring fast bowlers, there’s every chance Afridi ends the tournament as one of the leading wicket-takers.
A genuine fast bowler who hits the deck hard and is a nightmare for opposition batters, New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson has all the ingredients in place for an outstanding Champions Trophy campaign.
With his searing pace and ability to bowl change-up deliveries, batters find it tough to put Ferguson away. His ability to bowl back-of-a-length deliveries and hurry batters will be crucial in the seamer-friendly conditions during the Champions Trophy.
Moreover, looking at the numbers, Ferguson is even more of a menace to Subcontinent teams, with batters unable to navigate his rising deliveries. With New Zealand placed alongside India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh in Group A, the 33-year-old will be licking his lips, especially taking it into consideration that he has been in the UAE over the last month or so playing in the International League T20.
One of the best fast bowlers of his generation and the leader of South Africa’s bowling attack, Kagiso Rabada will be key if the Proteas are to make any inroads in the Champions Trophy.
Having become more of a death-overs specialist in recent years with the demands of T20 cricket, Rabada has somewhat lost his touch as a new-ball bowler. Still a regular in the Test setup, his consistency and ability to bowl in one channel will make it hard for batters to go after him.
In the recent ODI series against Pakistan at home, Rabada looked in great form, picking up wickets both with the new ball and during the death overs. He picked up five wickets in the two matches he played in at a respectable economy rate of 5.2. Given that the pitches in Pakistan will offer purchase and carry for seamers, Rabada will become more effective with his tail up.
Having been on the periphery of the Indian national team for much of his career, Shami’s Indian career has been hampered by injuries. Despite all that, he has emerged in recent times as one of India’s most lethal bowlers alongside Jasprit Bumrah. In just 101 matches, Shami has 195 wickets in ODIs at an average of 23.68 and strike-rate of 25.56—one of the best in the modern era.
Despite India’s heart-breaking loss in the 2023 World Cup final, Shami ended the tournament as the highest wicket-taker, picking up 24 wickets in just seven games. With an ankle injury ruling him out of international cricket for more than a year, the 34-year-old seamer has played different domestic tournaments in the lead up to the Champions Trophy.
If Shami can regain even a portion of his form from 2023, India’s pace attack will be second to none.
Ghazanfar is the only spinner in the list, and for good reason. The 18-year-old has been a revelation since bursting onto the scene during the U19 World Cup in South Africa last year. The right-arm off-break mystery bowler has proven difficult to go after, and his variations mean batters often get out playing the false shot.
In his 11-match ODI career, Ghazanfar has already picked up 21 wickets, including two fifers while going for just 4.05 runs per over. Given that Afghanistan have been drawn alongside Australia, England, and South Africa, the teenager will be one to look out for throughout the group stage.
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