ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s unsuccessful defence of their ICC Champions Trophy title in 2025 ended poorly, marking one of the most disappointing performances by a defending champion in an international men’s ODI tournament.
Australia, ICC Champions Trophy 2013
Australia, having won the previous two editions, were expected to reach the semi-finals, even after struggling to counter Ian Bell’s 91 in the opening match, which they lost by 48 runs.
Rain, which disrupted the tournament frequently, halted New Zealand’s chase when they were 51-2 in 15 overs after Australia posted 243-8 in their next match. This left Australia in a must-win situation against Sri Lanka.
After Mahela Jayawardene elegantly scored 84 not out from 81 balls, Australia had to chase 254 in 29.1 overs to qualify.
They went all out but quickly found themselves at 80-5, ending their campaign without a single victory.
Pakistan, ICC Champions Trophy 2025
In 2025, Pakistan lasted one game fewer than Australia did in 2013. They had to play across two countries and lost Fakhar Zaman just two balls into the tournament (though he continued to bat on one leg).
Their overly defensive batting style proved ineffective when it became clear that their bowlers were unable to take wickets or contain the opposition.
Chasing 321 against New Zealand, Babar Azam went into an inexplicable slowdown, scoring 64 off 90 balls, and the game was soon lost.
Against India, despite being 52-2 during the powerplay and 151-2 in the 34th over, they could only reach 241.
At times, they appeared to be a shadow of the team that had recently won a historic series in Australia and South Africa.
Sri Lanka, ODI World Cup 1999
In 1996, Sri Lanka had successfully reversed their batting order and relied on spin bowling in conditions that favoured that style of play. However, the same strategy failed in England in 1999.
England and India, teams they had easily defeated three years earlier, now beat them convincingly. Despite reducing South Africa to 122-8, Sri Lanka had no response to Lance Klusener’s late assault.
While they managed to defeat Zimbabwe and Kenya, Sri Lanka became the first defending champions to be eliminated from the World Cup before the theme song had even been released.
England, ODI World Cup 2023
Unlike Sri Lanka in 1999, who had the excuse of a format where a few losses could heavily impact a team’s progress, England in 2023 had more opportunities to recover from early setbacks.
However, they continued to struggle, winning just one of their first seven matches – against Bangladesh – and losing six. Many of these defeats, including a surprising loss to Afghanistan, were one-sided.
They did find some solace towards the end, defeating the Netherlands and Pakistan to secure qualification for the Champions Trophy.
Australia, ODI World Cup 1992
Unlike Sri Lanka and England, who were playing away from home, Australia had the advantage of familiar conditions.
That summer, they had dominated India 4-0 in the Test series and won the Benson & Hedges triangular tournament, which also included India and the West Indies.
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As hosts, they were expected to claim the trophy. However, New Zealand outperformed them in the opening match, followed by heavy defeats from South Africa, England, and Pakistan.
They did manage to beat India by one run, thanks to the controversial rain rules of the time. By the time they played their final match against the West Indies, they were already eliminated from contention.
The ODI World Cup 1996 quartet
Pakistan won the 1992 World Cup by defeating England, with New Zealand and South Africa being the losing semi-finalists.
In 1996, the same four teams were placed in the same group, alongside the Netherlands and the UAE.
As expected, all four teams made it to the quarter-finals. However, all of them were eliminated.
