5 Players who could retire after ICC Champions Trophy Final 2025
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has been exciting and thrilling. It has come to an end with only two teams from the eight remaining in the competition. India will be playing New Zealand in the final of the major tournament, at the Dubai International Stadium, Dubai. The competition saw one major upset after Afghanistan defeated England for the second time in the ICC competition.
The host nation Pakistan finished at the bottom of the table, without winning a single game. Their final match against Bangladesh also was a washout. After the semi-final, the game saw one of the greatest of this era, Steve Smith retire from ODI cricket. Now after the final, some cricketers are in the line to make their way out of the ODI setup.
Both from India and New Zealand, some cricketers will be calling it a day. In this article, we dive into the 5 players who might retire from cricket after the ICC Champions Trophy final.
5. Mohammad Nabi | Age 40 | Afghanistan
Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan has been one of the finest all-rounders of this era. The 40-year-old cricketer played a major role in Afghanistan’s rise to the top level of international cricket. He had a decent ICC Champions Trophy and was crucial in the previous two major ICC events for the Afghans. He retired from test cricket back in 2019 to focus more on the white-ball cricket.
Nabi might call off international cricket as he announced earlier after the series against Bangladesh in UAE. The official announcement is yet to come from the experienced all-rounder. He might get featured in the IPL and continue playing franchise leagues across the world. He has 3655 runs, making him the second-highest run-scorer for Afghanistan in ODIs. With the ball, he has picked up 176 wickets.
4. Glenn Maxwell | Age 36 | Australia
Glenn Maxwell is one of the aggressive batters of this era. He entertains the fans with his unconventional stroke play and has always lit up the stadium with some brilliant hitting. He has been a game-changer for Australia for years in the white-ball format. The middle-order batter’s best innings came in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 match against Afghanistan where he scored 201 runs in just 128 balls.
However, he has been out of form in the ODIs. He struggled in England, averaging just 13, and the poor run continued in the home ODIs vs Pakistan, where he only scored 16 runs at 5.33. He only played one knock against the three lions in the ICC Champions Trophy and miserably failed in the semi-final against India. This might have been the final appearance for the cricketer in the 50-over format of the game given his age of 36.
3. Joe Root | Age 34 | England
Joe Root is the best test batter of this generation. He is the highest run-scorer in the longest format of the game by an active cricketer. The former English skipper is the highest run-scorer for England. Root is regarded as one of the best batters of his generation, as well as one of England’s all-time greats. He was their second-best batter in the ICC Champions Trophy but could not lead England to the semi-final.
Root has not yet announced his plans to retire from ODIs. However, he may leave ODIs to concentrate on Test cricket. He has only scored one century in 34 ODIs since the 2019 World Cup. His average is under 35. Now with time left of England’s new Bazball setup in the limited overs cricket, the 34-year-old batter does not fit in the role.
Also Read: List of ICC Champions Trophy Winners Till Now
2. Kane Williamson | Age 34 | New Zealand
Kane Williamson is one of the ‘FAB 4’ of modern-day cricket. He changed the dynamics of New Zealand’s cricket as he led the side to the 2019 World Cup final, losing out on boundary count and then won the 2021-23 ICC World Test Championship against India, winning his first ICC trophy as a captain. He has scored 7224 runs at an average of 49.47. He has scored 47 half-centuries and 15 centuries in the format.
He scored a brilliant hundred in the semi-final against South Africa to lead his team to the final. Williamson, with the growing age and disinterest in the ODI format, the batter could hang up his boots in the limited-overs format after the Champions Trophy finals. He has already stepped down from captaincy across all formats of the game and has also been out of the Kiwis’ central contract from the 2024/25 season.
1. Rohit Sharma | Age 37 | India
Rohit Sharma is one of the most elegant batters of all time. The team India captain has been one of the sweetest timers of the ball. His hand and eye coordination make him different from the rest of the cricketers across the world. While he plays, it looks like he has more time than any other batter to play the ball so perfectly. Since he started opening in 2013, he is a completely different batter.
The 37-year-old captain is the first skipper to qualify for all four ICC events. He is just one match away from leading India to yet another silverware in nearly a year. He previously won the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 against South Africa in the West Indies and now in 9 months, he is again in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy. He might call it off from the ODI setup after the final with his age and fitness being a concern.