Champions Trophy 2025: Joe Root makes comeback as England announce squad

Seasoned batter Joe Root was called back as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Sunday announced the squad for the Champions Trophy 2025.

The right-handed batter, who has not played an ODI game since ODI World Cup 2023, is an integral part of England’s Test side.

Apart from Joe Root, wicketkeeping batter Jos Buttler is back in England’s 15-player squad and will lead the side in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan in the February-March window next year.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes, however, missed out on the selection due to a hamstring injury he sustained during the Test away series against New Zealand.

Before the Champions Trophy 2025, the England squad will tour India for a three-match each T20I and ODI series.

England squad for ODI series in India and Champions Trophy 2025:

Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, and Mark Wood.

Meanwhile, reports said that the International Cricket Council (ICC) agreed on a hybrid model that would see India playing its matches of the tournament at neutral venues.

The highly-anticipated tournament is scheduled to kick off on February 19, 2025, and will see eight teams split into two groups. The matches will take place across the venues of Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi.

As per an agreement between the PCB and BCCI, neutral venues will also be used for Pakistan’s matches in ICC tournaments that India hosts till 2027.