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Babar Azam sits at the No. 1 position in the ICC ODI batter’s ranking, whereas Kohli amassed a total of 765 runs in the last ICC 50-over tournament played in 2023.
Tim Southee ignores Virat Kohli and Babar Azam. (Picture Credit: AFP)
Former New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee ignored batting superstar Virat Kohli and world No. 1 ODI batter Babar Azam when asked to predict the leading run-scorer at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The 10th edition of the ICC Champions Trophy, which was first played in 1998, is set to start on February 19 in Karachi with a match between defending champions Pakistan and New Zealand, and the final is on March 9. A total of eight teams will fight against each other to win the top prize in the tournament, which is set to be played across three venues in Pakistan and one in Dubai.
Kohli was the leading run scorer in the ODI World Cup 2023. In 11 matches for the Rohit Sharma-led side, Kohli scored 765 runs. But Southee has ignored him and instead mentioned Kane Williamson and Travis Head’s names when asked about his prediction for ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Speaking in a video shared by ICC on Instagram, Southee, who retired from international cricket last year in December, said, “Leading run scorer, I think the wickets will be pretty good in Pakistan. I’d like to say Kane Williamson will be up there. I just think his ability to adapt to different conditions we’ve seen, his experience in different conditions, and his success in different conditions, and he’s a guy that’s got a phenomenal one-day record, so if New Zealand are to go deep into the competition, then he’s going to have to score a lot of runs as well.”
“And maybe Travis Head from Australia as well. I think he’s a dangerous player. He’s been a standout in the One Day World Cup in the last edition. I think he’ll like the wickets in Pakistan and Australia historically have been very strong in world events, so I’m sure they’ll be there near the end as well,” Southee added.
Head scored a century for Australia against India in the final of the ODI World Cup 2023, which was played on November 19, 2023, at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The left-handed batter is all set to open for the Pat Cummins-led side in the Champions Trophy.
