LAHORE: Following the recovery of left-handed batsman Saim Ayub, who is dealing with a serious injury, Pakistan will finalise their Champions Trophy 2025 squad, reported citing sources, however an initial draft of the national team members will be forwarded to the International Cricket Council (ICC) today (Sunday). According to the protocol for ICC events, which requires participating nations to submit names one month in advance, today is the deadline for submitting the initial squad for the tournament. However, changes can be made to the draft and sent to the ICC till February 11. Sources further said that though the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had no intention to announce a preliminary squad, the board would send players' names to the ICC to meet the procedure requirements. It is pertinent to mention that the eight-team mega tournament, comprised of 15 matches, will run from February 19 to March 9, across three venues — Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi – in Pakistan and Dubai in UAE. Ayub’s participation in the Champions Trophy is conditional to his fitness. The explosive left-handed opener limped off the field on January 3 after twisting his ankle while fielding during the second Test match against South Africa at the Newlands, Cape Town. Meanwhile, the sources said, the Champions Trophy squad will almost be the same as the one that will play ODI tri-nation series prior to the mega ICC tournament. However, there would not be many changes to the team, that played South Africa recently, for the tri-nation series. The series will be held from February 8 to 14 in Pakistan and played by New Zealand and South Africa apart from the hosts. The sources said left-handed batsman Fakhar Zaman is most likely to get the opportunity to play in the ODI series. It should be noted that the Champions Trophy will be played by eight teams, divided into two groups. Group A features Pakistan, India, New Zealand, and Bangladesh, while Group B is comprised of Afghanistan, South Africa, England and Australia. Hosts Pakistan will take on New Zealand in the curtain raiser on February 19 in Karachi, while the blockbuster clash between arch-rivals Pakistan and India is scheduled for February 23 in Dubai. 19 February, Pakistan v New Zealand, Karachi, Pakistan 20 February, Bangladesh v India, Dubai 21 February, Afghanistan v South Africa, Karachi, Pakistan 22 February, Australia v England, Lahore, Pakistan 23 February, Pakistan v India, Dubai 24 February, Bangladesh v New Zealand, Rawalpindi, Pakistan 25 February, Australia v South Africa, Rawalpindi, Pakistan 26 February, Afghanistan v England, Lahore, Pakistan 27 February, Pakistan v Bangladesh, Rawalpindi, Pakistan 28 February, Afghanistan v Australia, Lahore, Pakistan 1 March, South Africa v England, Karachi, Pakistan 2 March, New Zealand v India, Dubai 4 March, Semi-final 1, Dubai 5 March, Semi-final 2, Lahore, Pakistan 9 March, Final, Lahore (unless India qualify, when it will be played in Dubai) 10 March, Reserve day