'That excitement and the nervousness was there'- Babar Azam reflects on memories of Champions Trophy 2017 triumph

The opener of the Champions Trophy 2025 is just a few hours away and will be played between Pakistan and New Zealand. The match will be held at the National Stadium in Karachi. Their group also includes two-time Champions Trophy winners India and underdogs Bangladesh.

Pakistan will be fan favourites in the opening game and the player who will most likely get the most cheers is their top-order batter, Babar Azam. The 30-year-old is the number one ODI batter and was also part of the Champions Trophy-winning team in 2017. Babar has expressed his excitement about playing in the tournament and also opened up on the memories of the 2017 tournament which was one of the iconic moments of Pakistan cricket where they beat arch-rivals India and won their maiden Champions Trophy title.

“As a player, I am very excited, and all the fans are excited, My primary memories of the 2017 final are Fakhar Zaman's innings (of 114), the spell of Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali's spell, and the winning moment. For me, it was a new journey as I was a young player. Playing against India, that excitement and the nervousness was there but when we won, we enjoyed and celebrated," said Babar as quoted by an ICC media release.

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“A lot has changed since the Champions Trophy was held in 2017. We have new players coming, we only have three or four players who were part of that winning team. But the belief, confidence, and execution are the same," he added.

The last series Pakistan featured in was a tri-series that featured two other teams in New Zealand and South Africa. Pakistan had played the Blackcaps in the final game where they suffered a disappointing loss. The Men in Green would like to make a statement in the upcoming game as they will be playing the same opponents who spoiled their hopes of winning their last ODI series before the tournament.