3 X-Factor Players Crucial For England To Win ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Bhargav Dixit

England haven't won a series since September 2023. [Source: @englandcricket/X]England haven't won a series since September 2023. [Source: @englandcricket/X]

For teams with a minimum of 15 ODIs since the start of the 2023 Cricket World Cup, England’s seven wins are the second-lowest. England, who have lost 13 out of 20 matches in this period, haven’t won an ODI series since September 2023.


Interestingly, England’s run rate of 6.01 in this phase is only behind Australia (6.04) and New Zealand (6.26). In spite of not being able to generate preferrable results, they have not compromised on their inclination towards targeting opposition bowlers from the word go.

In order to prevent themselves from putting on display a third successive debacle in global white-ball tournaments, England would be hoping for the below mentioned X-factor players to come good during ICC Champions Trophy 2025:

Liam Livingstone

Since the last ODI World Cup, all-rounder Liam Livingstone is England’s third-highest run-scorer and second-highest wicket-taker. In fact, Livingstone is one of the five Full Member players to have scored over 300 runs and picked more than five wickets in this period.

Furthermore, besides Australia’s Travis Head, Livingstone is the only other batter to have scored over 200 runs at a strike rate of 120 since ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. For anyone who saw him lead from the front to smash a career-best 124* (85) comprising five fours and nine sixes against West Indies in North Sound three months ago wouldn’t need further explanation around his importance in this English squad.



Ben Duckett

Harry Brook, England’s highest ODI run-scorer since the World Cup, would’ve been preferred over Ben Duckett had the Champions Trophy would’ve been scheduled outside Asia. With that not the case and Ben Duckett a better player of spin than Brook by a large distance, the former will hold the key for them at the top of the order.

One short of the 400-run mark in this period, left-handed Duckett’s average and strike rate of 49.87 and 104.72 respectively is commendable. That being said, what stands out for him is his ability to nullify spinners. Relentless and fearless whilst taking on the spinners with innovative shot-selection, expect Duckett to contribute significantly in England’s Champions Trophy campaign.

Brydon Carse

Out of the 20 teams which have played ODIs since the last major ICC event, England’s bowling average of 41.42 and economy rate of 6.17 are the worst. At a time when England are leaking more runs than they’re scoring, one has no reason than to put confidence in leading wicket-taker Brydon Carse.

The only English specialist pacer to have played seven ODIs in this period, Carse has picked nine wickets at an average of 39 and a strike rate of 34. In the last year or so, Carse has registered individual scores of 30s across the three formats to put forward his case as a bowling all-rounder. While there remains time before giving him that tag, his batting skills definitely provide England with the depth that their all-attack approach seeks.