Beyond the spectacle, a larger question looms: what does this tournament, returning after eight long years, mean for the future of ODI cricket?

Australia have now won all three editions of the championship, which was instituted in 2014 to grow the women’s game and has been instrumental in ensuring more women’s cricket tours over the past decade.

Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai built on an impressive 2023 to become one of the world’s leading One Day International performers in 2024, with his right-arm pace bowling and multi-faceted batting game helping take the Afghanistan team to a new level.

Arshdeep starred as India ended their wait for a major ICC trophy win with victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the Caribbean and USA back in June, and has gone on to cement his reputation as one of the leading powerplay and death bowlers in the game.

West Indies great Clive Lloyd is "disturbed" by the idea of a two-tier structure for Test cricket and believes efforts should instead be focused on ensuring struggling teams play more often against the top sides.

Vaughan joined former India coach Ravi Shastri in urging a shake-up which would include relegation and promotion to help ensure the survival of the red-ball game.

Any plan for a move to two divisions in Test cricket would kick in after the end of the current Future Tours Program in 2027, a year which will also feature a 150th anniversary Test match between Australia and England at the MCG.

Three stylish all-rounders and a batting stalwart who enjoyed a stellar 2024 across formats made it to the nominees for the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for Women’s Cricketer of the Year.

England’s marathon run-scoring duo, Australia’s swashbuckling left-hander and India’s pace-bowling icon made for a stellar list of nominees for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.

“I was still sulking in the toilet. There were not a lot of conversations. We still had the confidence. I did not come out to the viewing area and was in the toilet. I came when 15 runs were needed,” Bavuma laughed.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) bans "inappropriate physical contact" and those found guilty can be suspended for matches if the offence is deemed serious enough.

Bangladesh will start their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against India in Dubai on February 20.

In an interview with the Telegraph, Barclay cautioned Shah against taking the game "under the yoke of India".

West Indies cricketers Jayden Seales and Kevin Sinclair were both fined Wednesday for breaching the International Cricket Council's code of conduct during the second Test defeat by Bangladesh.

Earlier this month, the ICC informed the Pakistan Cricket Board that India would not tour Pakistan for the eight-team tournament, leaving the fate of the event hanging in the balance.

The governing International Cricket Council (ICC) is in talks with several boards which have yet to pay prize money from this year's Twenty20 World Cup to the players, sources told Reuters on Thursday.

The incident took place while England were fielding, with Topley leaving the field after sustaining an injury and found to have taken hold of a chair and aggressively hitting it against the handrail.

The Champions Trophy is slated to be played across three venues -- Lahore, Rawalpindi and Karachi -- from February 19 to March 9 next year.

India and Australia remain in the top two spots on the standings and a repeat of the memorable 2023 final at The Oval remains a distinct possibility.

In August, the ICC charged Jayawickrama for failing to report an approach to fix matches and obstructing an investigation.