WATCH: Pakistan shines as ICC lists top 10 Champions Trophy deliveries
Mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed has been featured twice
DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday released the top 10 deliveries of the recently concluded Champions Trophy 2025, with four of them belonging to Pakistani bowlers.
Mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed has been featured twice, while the pace duo of Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi have one entry each.
Abrar’s exceptional deliveries against New Zealand’s Devon Conway and India’s Shubman Gill made the list.
Meanwhile, Shaheen Afridi’s dismissal of Indian captain Rohit Sharma and Naseem Shah’s brilliant delivery to remove Kane Williamson have also been recognized among the best.
Despite Naseem and Shaheen’s inclusion in the top 10, their overall performance in the Champions Trophy fell short of expectations.
The pace trio struggled in the two matches they played against New Zealand and India, conceding runs at an expensive rate.
Shaheen Afridi was particularly costly, conceding 68 runs in his 10-over spell without taking a wicket against New Zealand, finishing with an economy rate of 6.80.
Against India, he bowled eight overs, conceding 72 runs while picking up two wickets at an economy rate of 9.25.
Similarly, Naseem Shah bowled 10 overs against New Zealand, conceding 63 runs while taking two wickets. However, in the match against India, he remained wicketless, conceding 37 runs in his eight-over spell.
Haris Rauf turned out to be Pakistan’s most expensive bowler against New Zealand, conceding 83 runs in his 10-over spell while taking two wickets. Against India, he failed to take a wicket, conceding 52 runs in seven overs.
In the final, India defeated New Zealand to lift the Champions Trophy, successfully chasing down the Black Caps’ target of 252 with four wickets in hand and an over to spare.
This victory marked India’s third Champions Trophy title, having previously won the prestigious tournament in 2002 and 2013.
Notably, India also claimed the 2024 T20 World Cup title by defeating South Africa in the final, further solidifying their dominance in international cricket.
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