Former ace New Zealand bowler Tim Southee was totally indifferent to batting superstar Virat Kohli and world No.1 ODI batter Babar Azam while predicting the leading run job at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The 10th edition of the ICC Champions Trophy was first played in 1998 and is due to start on February 19 in Karachi with a match between defending champions Pakistan and New Zealand, with the final match set for March 9. A total of eight teams will compete for the coveted prize during the tournament, which is to be played across three venues in Pakistan and one in Dubai.
Kohli was the top scorer in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Kohli smacked 765 runs for Rohit Sharma‘s side in 11 matches. But when asked about his prediction for ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Southee has blatantly ignored him and mentioned Kane Williamson and Travis Head instead.
Southee retired from international cricket last December. In a video shared by ICC on Instagram, he 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 built-up is not just from one format but, all forms of the game, and it’s a phenomenal record in ODIs, so if New Zealand are going far in that tournament, he’ll have to get a lot of runs as well.”
“Travis Head from Australia might also be one of them. I think he’s a very dangerous player. He was one of the standout performers in the last edition of the One Day World Cup. I think he will quite enjoy the wickets over there. Australia has always done very well in world events I’m sure they will be up there near the end,” Southee pointed out.
Head scored 100 against India in the final of the ODI World Cup 2023 on November 19, 2023, at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. The left-handed batter is set to open for the Australian team Champions Trophy.
