Senior assistant coach Mohammad Salauddin on Wednesday insisted that the Tigers didn’t have an ideal preparation before coming into the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy and they need to focus on preparations before going into any major event.

With New Zealand already qualified for the semi-finals, selectors have the luxury of resting players for the final group match against India in Dubai on Sunday.

Afghans painted in red, green and black cheered from the sidelines of the Champions Trophy cricket in Lahore and from in front of their televisions in Kabul on Wednesday, brushing aside calls for England to boycott the match.

The Rawalpindi wicket is currently covered, and the weather has also prevented the hosts from conducting a full training session, as their practice was limited to warm-ups and a light football match in the afternoon.

Opener Ibrahim Zadran struck a Champions Trophy record of 177 to lift Afghanistan from an early wobble to 325-7 against England in a group match in Lahore on Wednesday.

Rain washed out the Australia-South Africa Group B match on Tuesday and more is predicted on Thursday, leaving Pakistan in danger of finishing fourth and last on net run-rate.

In an unprecedented move, over 100 policemen of Pakistan's Punjab Police have been dismissed from service for refusing to perform assigned security duties during the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025, police said on Tuesday.

Former cricketers and pundits have slammed India's "undeniable" advantage of playing all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai, while the other seven teams have to shuttle between three venues in Pakistan, and the UAE.

Group B's two winless sides clash in a mouth-watering must-win ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 showdown in Lahore today. Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and opted to bat first. 

Klaasen could feature in South Africa's final Group B game against England in Karachi on Saturday.

With India and New Zealand having booked their place into the semifinals from Group A, all eyes are now on Group B, with all four teams still in the fray.

Pakistan legend Wasim Akram has slammed Bangladesh veteran Mahmudullah for his performance against New Zealand in the Champions trophy game on Monday.

Ahead of the contest, more than 160 British politicians have called for England to boycott the game in protest against the Taliban government's restrictions on women's rights in Afghanistan.

The Australia vs South Africa game at the Champions Trophy was abandoned without a ball being bowled, as a result of which the two teams split points in Group B.

There are no more second chances for either of these sides.

Both teams need a win on Wednesday in Lahore to keep alive their hopes of reaching the semi-finals in the 50-over tournament after losing their respective openers.

Bangladesh team manager Rabeed Imam reminded all-rounder Mehedi Hasan Miraz to check the honours board at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday, as the latter was waiting to face the media in the Mixed Zone following their Champions Trophy game against New Zealand.

The title-holders lost their opening game to New Zealand by 60 runs in Karachi last week before Sunday's six-wicket defeat to arch-rivals India pushed them to the brink of an early exit.

Ultimately, Bangladesh remain trapped in an endless cycle: talking big to create pre-tournament hype, crumbling under pressure, and then scrambling for excuses.

Bangladesh losing convincingly to India and New Zealand and being out of contention for a spot in the semi-final in the ICC Champions Trophy may seem like the worst thing about the team’s ongoing campaign in Pakistan and the UAE, but it’s not.