Image: Tim Southee tipped Kane Williamson and Travis Head as potential top run-scorers / © The Cricket Gazette
In the lead-up to the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, former New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee has made an interesting prediction about the tournament’s leading run-scorer, ignoring heavyweights Virat Kohli and Babar Azam. While Kohli was the top run-scorer in the 2023 ICC World Cup with 765 runs, and Babar holds the No. 1 spot in the ICC ODI batter rankings, Southee has picked Kane Williamson and Travis Head as his top contenders.
Southee highlighted Williamson’s adaptability and consistency across various conditions, especially in the context of Pakistan’s favorable batting wickets. The New Zealand captain has a remarkable ODI record and will play a crucial role if New Zealand progresses deep into the competition.
Leading run scorer, I think the wickets will be pretty good in Pakistan. I’d like to say Kane Williamson will be up there. I just think his ability to adapt to different conditions we’ve seen, his experience in different conditions, and his success in different conditions, and he’s a guy that’s got a phenomenal one-day record, so if New Zealand are to go deep into the competition, then he’s going to have to score a lot of runs as well. And maybe Travis Head from Australia as well. I think he’s a dangerous player. He’s been a standout in the One Day World Cup in the last edition. I think he’ll like the wickets in Pakistan and Australia historically have been very strong in world events, so I’m sure they’ll be there near the end as well.
He also lauded Travis Head for his strong performance in the 2023 World Cup, particularly his match-winning century in the final. Southee believes Head will thrive in Pakistan’s conditions, helping Australia remain a key contender in the tournament.
The Champions Trophy 2025 will run from February 19 to March 9, with eight teams battling it out across Pakistan and Dubai for the prestigious title.