Pakistan will commence the 2025 Champions Trophy with a match against New Zealand on February 19 in Karachi, as confirmed by the ICC on Tuesday, December 24, during the announcement of the fixtures. India’s group stage games, along with one semi-final, are slated to take place in Dubai, with the highly anticipated encounter against Pakistan scheduled for February 23.
In a historic match held in Kingstown, Bangladesh achieved a remarkable 3-0 series victory over the West Indies, securing an
Australia and India will enter the Boxing Day Test with an equal scoreline, as the third Test in Brisbane concluded in a draw due to adverse weather conditions that limited play on the fifth day to merely 24.1 overs. The decision to end the match was made shortly after the Tea break, which was moved forward as players left the field because of insufficient light and the threat of rain. India was at 8 runs without loss in their fourth innings, chasing a target of 275 runs in approximately 54 overs.
New Zealand finalized the proceedings on the fourth day, securing victory in the Hamilton Test by a margin of 423 runs, concluding the series with a score of 1-2. This victory marked New Zealand’s largest Test win by runs in their history and served as an ideal farewell for one of their esteemed veterans, Tim Southee. The former captain held onto a stump as a keepsake while leading the team off the field during the second session, following England’s loss of their ninth and final wicket.
West Indies achieved a decisive 7-wicket victory, highlighted by Jayden Seales’s outstanding performance of 4 wickets for 22 runs, securing their first bilateral ODI series triumph against Bangladesh in a decade. Seales made a significant impact early in the match, claiming three wickets during his initial spell, which left the visitors struggling at 64 for 4 within just 11 overs, including 54 for 3 during the powerplay. Consequently, Bangladesh managed to post a total of only 227 runs. Brandon King played a pivotal role in the chase, leading the home team to successfully chase down the modest target with 13.1 overs remaining.
Pat Cummins’ impressive five-wicket haul underscored Australia’s supremacy in the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval, allowing them to equalize the series with a decisive victory on the third afternoon. The situation became dire for India when Mitchell Starc delivered a flawlessly executed ball in the day’s opening over, resulting in Rishabh Pant edging it behind for his overnight total of 28. India was dismissed for 175, just over an hour into the first session. Needing 19, Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney knocked off the runs within four overs even before the first session was over.
Travis Head once again emerged as a significant challenge for India, scoring an impressive 140 runs off 141 balls, which decisively shifted the momentum in favor of Australia. By the time Mohammad Siraj dismissed him with the second new ball, Head had sufficiently undermined India’s confidence and helped Australia gather a first innings lead of 157 runs. To further wrest control, their pacers bagged five wickets under the lights as India slipped up ending the day trailing by 29.
Mitchell Starc achieved his fourth five-wicket haul in day-night Tests and his 15th overall in his Test career as Australia dismissed India for 180 on the opening day in Adelaide. Australia maintained control with the bat, albeit in a cautious manner, as they reduced the deficit by 85 runs. Starc’s impressive performance with the pink ball was the highlight of the first day of the day-night Test in Adelaide, as Australia bounced back from their 295-run defeat in Perth by bowling out India for 180.
Sufiyan Muqeem, in his sixth T20I appearance, achieved his career-best performance by taking 5 wickets for only 3 runs, contributing significantly to the dismissal of Zimbabwe for a mere 57 runs. This outstanding effort paved the way for Pakistan’s decisive 10-wicket triumph, securing the series victory in the second T20I held at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Tuesday.
South Africa has ascended to the second position on the World Test Championship (WTC) table following a commanding 233-run victory against Sri Lanka in Durban, thereby ending the visitors’ unbeaten streak at this location. Marco Jansen concluded the match with a total of 11 wickets, achieving figures of 4 for 73 in the second innings.
Following the unexpected defeat in the first ODI, Pakistan made a strong recovery in the second match and continued their momentum with another dominant performance, ultimately securing the series 2-1. Kamran Ghulam’s impressive innings of 103 runs off 99 balls, bolstered by contributions from his teammates, propelled Pakistan to a total of 303/6 in the third ODI held in Bulawayo on Thursday, November 28. In response, Zimbabwe was dismissed for 204 runs in just 40.1 overs, thanks to a cohesive effort from the Pakistani bowling unit.
The IPL 2025 mega auction took place on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and concluded with considerable enthusiasm as all ten franchises completed their team rosters. During the two-day event at the Abadi Al Johar Arena, a total of 182 players were acquired, with franchises collectively investing ₹639.15 crore to enhance their squads for the forthcoming season.
