In a move that no one saw coming (and probably no one asked for), the International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to spice up the build-up to the Champions Trophy 2025 with Shaheen Afridi and Shadab Khan paying a nod to the WWE’s iconic faction The Shield.
In its latest promotional reel, inspired by WWE, Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, and England’s Phil Salt (because why not?) dressed in all-black outfits, complete with black gloves, did the Shield’s fist-bump together. To top it off, the ICC dubbed this new faction as “FIELD” (get it?) and captioned the post with:
The newest faction. Believe in the FIELD 👊
The internet, as expected, had a field day (pun intended).
The comments section quickly turned into a comedy goldmine as fans tried to make sense of this unexpected crossover. One user hilariously asked, “So, which one of them is going to betray the FIELD with a chair shot?”—a clear nod to Seth Rollins’ infamous betrayal of The Shield in WWE. Another chimed in, “Phil Salt? Really? He’s the Dean Ambrose of this group, isn’t he?”
The ICC hasn’t offered any explanation for the clip, but it’s clear they’re leaning into pop culture to hype up the Champions Trophy.
One thing’s for sure: the ICC has successfully managed to grab everyone’s attention. And as the Champions Trophy 2025 approaches, fans will be keeping an eye on this unlikely trio to see if they can live up to their new Shield-inspired moniker.
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