The International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy is a 50-over cricket tournament held every four years, featuring eight teams from around the world.
These teams are divided into two groups of four: Group A, comprising Bangladesh, India, New Zealand and Pakistan, and Group B, consisting of Afghanistan, Australia, England and South Africa.
In a recent match on 22 February, Australia triumphed over England with a five-wicket victory in their opening ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 Group B match at Lahore’s Gadaffi Stadium.
They successfully chased down a record total of 352 runs with 15 balls to spare, setting the highest ever successful run-chase in the history of ICC’s white-ball tournaments.
England batted first and secured a score of 351-8 which included Ben Duckett’s 165 off 143 balls, which is the highest individual score in Champion’s Trophy history.
Duckett shared a crucial 158-run stand with former captain, Joe Root, who contributed 68 runs before being dismissed by Adam Zampa. England’s innings were further enhanced by contributions made later by Jofra Archer as he added 21 runs from 10 balls.
Initially, Australia struggled during the early stages of the match to continue their chase during the second inning as they lost Travis Head and Steve Smith at just 27 runs but Marcus Labuschagne and Matthew Short steadied the innings by collectively scoring 95 runs before Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone struck to leave Australia at 136-4.
Josh Inglis then took charge and scored his maiden ODI century with 120 runs off 86 balls as his 146-run collaboration with Alex Carey shifted monumental in Australia’s favour.
| Batter | Total | Opposition (Year) |
| Ben Duckett | 165 | Australia (2025) |
| Nathan Astle | 145* | USA (2004) |
| Andy Flower | 145 | India (2002) |
| Sourav Ganguly | 141 | South Africa (2000) |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 141 | Australia (1998) |
After Carey’s dismissal, Glenn Maxwell contributed a rapid 31 from 14 balls and Inglis sealed the victory with a six off Mark Wood in the 48th over.
With this win, Australia secured two points in the Champion’s Trophy tournament so far with their next match against South Africa on Monday, 24 February.
In a recent statement, Jay Shah, chairman of the ICC highlighted the importance of the tournament and said: “Beyond the financial incentive, this tournament ignites fierce competition, captivates fans worldwide and plays a vital role in fostering the growth and long-term sustainability of cricket for future generations.”
