India will start the Champions Trophy as tournament favourites with the distinct advantage of not having to play games in the same country as everyone else, including Australia, who will have to take on Afghanistan in Pakistan amid lingering tensions about their place in the tournament.
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Masses of armed security greeted the Australians on arrival this week, with armed guards at all venues a sign of the volatile nature of Pakistan hosting a major ICC tournament for the first time in 30 years.
Despite being undermanned, without regular captain Pat Cummins and his fast-bowling brothers Mitch Starc and Josh Hazlewood, Australia is second on the line of betting to win the ODI tournament and clear favourites to beat England in the opening match in Lahore on Saturday.
A recent formline that reads two losses to Sri Lanka, who didn’t qualify for the tournament, and coming up against an English outfit that includes former Ashes nemesis Jofra Archer and a full cohort of fast bowlers and first-choice batters, would make betting on the Aussies questionable.
But the England team hits the tournament with an even worse record than the Australians, who have won only seven of 13 ODIs since the 2023 World Cup triumph.
England’s Bazball style of batting aggression which should be suited to the white-ball format, has been found wanting across the past 12 months.
England has recorded only three wins from its past 11 ODIs and is on a four-game losing streak having been trounced by India in India in the most recent series this month.
While Australia suffered a record 174-run loss to Sri Lanka in Colombo last start, England’s bowlers gave up more than 900 runs in three heavy losses to India, putting pressure on coach Brendon McCullum and skipper Jos Butler after his team also lost the T20 series.
Both Australia and England, as well as South Africa, will all have to take on Afghanistan despite an outcry from politicians in several countries about their capacity to take part despite the Taliban banning women from playing sport.
Individual boycotts have been ruled out, and Cricket Australia points to its refusal to play Afghanistan in any bilateral cricket that is outside of official ICC tournaments as a strong stance on the issue.
Politics has further muddied the waters, with India’s point-blank refusal to play in Pakistan, citing their own security concerns.
They will instead play all their matches, including one against the host nation that could draw eyeballs in the billions, in Dubai.
Should India make the final, that will also be moved from Lahore to the desert to accommodate the desires of the undisputed biggest power in cricket, the BCCI.
While nations, including Australia, have again begun touring Pakistan after skipping the country for nearly two decades, the Champions Trophy is the first ICC tournament in Pakistan since the 1996 World Cup.
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