“That excitement and the nervousness were there,” Babar Azam said in reference to his Champions Trophy victory in 2017.

In the first game, Pakistan will be the crowd favorite, and their top batsman, Babar Azam, is probably going to receive the most applause. In addition to being the top ODI hitter, the 30-year-old was a member of the 2017 Champions Trophy winning squad.

In addition to sharing his excitement about competing in the tournament, Babar Azam talked about his memories of the 2017 competition, which was one of Pakistan cricket’s most memorable years as they defeated bitter rivals India and took home their first Champions Trophy.

In only a few hours, Pakistan and New Zealand will play the first match of the Champions Trophy 2025. These two will also be among the favorites in the group, which also includes underdogs Bangladesh and two-time Champions Trophy champions India, at the National Stadium in Karachi.

My main recollections of the 2017 final are Hasan Ali’s spell, Mohammad Amir‘s spell, Fakhar Zaman’s innings (of 114), and the decisive moment. As a player, I am quite excited, and so are all the spectators. As a young athlete, it was a novel experience for me. According to an ICC media release, Babar stated, “There was excitement and nervousness when playing against India, but we enjoyed and celebrated when we won.”

Since the Champions Trophy was contested in 2017, a lot has changed. We only have three or four players from that championship squad, and we have new guys coming. However, the execution, confidence, and belief are the same,” he continued.

Pakistan’s most recent appearance was in a tri-series with two other teams from South Africa and New Zealand. The final match between Pakistan and the Blackcaps ended in a humiliating defeat. Since they would be facing the same opponents who dashed their ambitions of winning their final ODI series prior to the competition, the Men in Green would desire to make a statement in the next match.