Champions Trophy 2025 lineup has been decided. The schedule for the mega event will be released next year. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is the official host of the competition. Many fans expect the tournament to happen in Pakistan only, but a few members of the cricket universe feel that PCB may shift the competition to a neutral venue.
The eight teams which have officially qualified for the Champions Trophy 2025 are India, Pakistan, Australia, Afghanistan, South Africa, New Zealand, Bangladesh and England. Former champions Sri Lanka have failed to qualify for the mega event in 2025.
It means that the next time Sri Lanka get to play an ICC event in the 50-over format will be in the 2027 World Cup. Some of their senior players may want to end their ODI careers soon and maximise their T20 and T10 careers. Here’s a list of three such cricketers.
1. Angelo Mathews may retire after Sri Lanka failed to qualify for Champions Trophy 2025
Senior all-rounder Angelo Mathews made a surprising return to ODI cricket as a replacement in the World Cup 2023. Mathews has a ton of experience under his belt, and it looks like he can play for a few more years if he plays T20s only. Retiring from ODIs can help him maintain fitness.
2. Dimuth Karunaratne
Dimuth Karunaratne is a Test specialist. He can focus fully on red-ball cricket if he gives up the ODI format. With Sri Lanka being a part of ICC World Test Championship, Karunaratne can think of retiring from ODIs soon.
3. Matheesha Pathirana
Fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana seems to have mastered the T20 format, but in ODI cricket, he has struggled a lot. The batters destroyed him during the ODI World Cup in India. Pathirana can take retirement from ODI cricket to focus fully on T20s only.
