Shaheen, Shadab, and Salt team up for WWE-inspired Champions Trophy promo

In a fun twist to promote the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi, all-rounder Shadab Khan, and England’s hard-hitting batter Phil Salt recreated the iconic fist bump of WWE’s legendary faction, The Shield, in a reel shared by the ICC on their social media channels.

The trio, dressed in sleek black attire complete with gloves, mimicked the signature move of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose. The ICC captioned the video with: “The newest faction. Believe in the Field.”

The video quickly captured the imagination of cricket fans, who humorously dubbed the cricketers after the WWE legends: Shaheen as Roman Reigns, Shadab as Seth Rollins, and Salt as Dean Ambrose.

The Champions Trophy 2025 will begin on February 19 and run until March 9, with 15 exciting matches set to unfold across three venues in Pakistan (Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi) and one in Dubai. Pakistan’s opening match will see them face New Zealand on February 19 in Karachi, with the much-anticipated Pakistan-India showdown scheduled for February 23 in Dubai.

Interestingly, Pakistan has yet to announce its squad for the prestigious tournament, making them the last team to do so among the participating nations.

Champions Trophy 2025 Schedule:

• 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 qualifies, in which case the final will be held in Dubai)
• 10 March: Reserve day