A total of 8 Champions Trophy tournaments have been played till date and the ninth is scheduled this year to be played in Pakistan and UAE. Pakistan Cricket Team is the defending champion and host of the tournament which makes them an important candidate for this season.
Let’s take a look at how the PCT performed in previous editions of the Champions Trophy and analyze their potential for victory this time.
Out of the eight times the Champions Trophy tournament was played, Australia won the title twice, India also became victorious twice but had to share their trophy with Sri Lanka once (because of draw), while New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and West Indies got the chance to claim the Champions Trophy only once.
Pakistan has been the semi-finalist in 2000, 2004 and 2009 and quarter finalist in 1998 before they finally got the chance to claim victory in 2017. Pakistan team being the defending champion and host has a strong advantage and would be considered favorite by the fans this time.
They have played great cricket in this format in past years and have been known for their unpredictable approach. The side will feature Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Fakhar Zaman and most probably Imam ul Haque and Saim Ayub in the squad. Given their successful campaigns in Australia and South Africa ODIs, the chances of them winning the tournament are pretty high.
However, PCT has been popular for their unpredictability. Even in 2017, they were on the brink of elimination with back to back losses in the beginning but the sudden surge in their performance led them towards winning with a heavy margin against India.
Let’s see what incredible display of cricket PCT displays and how the tournament unfolds.
