ENG vs AFG, Champions Trophy: Sunil Gavaskar brutally trolls Harry Brook with his 'smog' remark

Former India captain turned cricket commentator Sunil Gavaskar took a brutal dig at Harry Brook following his dismissal in England’s eight-wicket win against Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy 2025 Group B match at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. 

England’s Champions Trophy campaign came to an end after their shocking defeat at the hands of Afghanistan. The match against Afghanistan was crucial for England in order to stay alive in the tournament after losing their opening encounter against Australia. In a massive 326-run chase against Afghanistan, England fell a mere 9 runs short of the target despite fighting 120 off 111 balls by Joe Root and Jamie Overton’s valiant innings of 32 off 28 balls. 

Harry Brook failed to step up for England as he was dismissed for 25 off 21 balls by Mohammad Nabi, caught off his bowling. Brook’s dismissal prompted brutal dig by Sunil Gavaskar with a reference to England batter’s smog remark.

Speaking on Ten Sports show ‘The Dressing Room’, Gavaskar hilariously questioned floodlights condition in Lahore after Brook’s dismissal, recalling his past remark about visibility in Kolkata due to smog 

“"I just saw Harry Brook's dismissal. Are the lights in Lahore ok or not? Because when he played in Kolkata, he said that he couldn't see the ball properly because of smog. That's why I'm asking. I hope the Lahore lights are fine? Because the catching practice he gave to get out… I don't know.” the former India captain said.

After England’s defeat in the first T20I against India, Harry Brook remarked that lack of visibility due to smog in Kolkata was the reason for the struggle against spin bowling. This statement by England vice-captain was heavily trolled by Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri on the air during the second T20I between India and England in Chennai, with the former cheekily asking ‘is there any smog?’ following Brook’s dismissal.

Apart from Brook, Ben Duckett too became a centre of troll after England’s shocking exit from the Champions Trophy 2025 after defeat against Afghanistan. When England were at the risk of getting whitewashed by India in ODI series after going down 0-2, Duckett stated that he did not mind losing to hosts of the series as long as they can ‘beat India in the final’ of the Champions Trophy 2025. Since England could not qualify for the semifinal, Ben Duckett’s comment went viral on social media, with many trolling him for overconfidence, as England could not even make it past the group stage of the marquee event, let alone the final.

After winning the T20 World Cup 2022, England did not win a single ICC title. In the ODI World Cup 2023, The Three Lions suffered an early exit from the tournament as the defending champions, finishing seventh in the league stage. In the T20 World Cup 2024, England failed to defend their triumph as they lost to eventual champions India in the semifinal. The latest being their shocking exit from the Champions Trophy 2025, marking yet another disappointing campaign in the ICC tournament.

England were one of the favourites to clinch the Champions Trophy 2025. However, Jos Buttler’s side's early yet shocking exit from the marquee event raised the questions about their decline in the ODI format after Eoin Morgan relinquished his white-ball captaincy duties before retiring from international cricket. England will play their final group stage match against South Africa on March 1.