I myself didn't know how I got into the team: Khushdil Shah

After Pakistan announced their squad for the Champions Trophy 2025, there were immense apprehensions over the selection of two players, Khushdil Shah and Faheem Ashraf. While Khushdil last represented Pakistan on the international stage in 2022, Ashraf played his last game for the country in December 2023. Several former cricketers including former Pakistan pacer, Wasim Akram had called out the potential selection conundrum. 

As it stands out, Khushdil was included in the Tri-Nation series ahead of the global event and played four games and was underwhelming with the bat. On the other hand, Ashraf played just one game and could not even cross the 30-run mark. Having said that, Khushdil was not included in Pakistan’s playing XI in their first Champions Trophy 2025 game against New Zealand. The batter has stated that he has yet to conclude as to how he got inducted into the squad. 

Also Read: Champions Trophy 2025: Fakhar Zaman ruled out of tournament due to lower back injury

"I myself didn't know how I got into the team because I have been out of favour with the selectors for two years now. I don't take it (criticism) to heart because you can't stop people from saying what they say. The only answer I can give is to do my best and play a role in helping our team win," said Khushdil as quoted by NDTV.

In the first game, Fakhar Zaman sustained an injury while fielding. Though the batter came out to bat in the second innings, he could not run between the wickets feasibly. Subsequently, the opener is ruled out of the event and Imam Ul Haq has been named as his replacement. Both premier openers of Pakistan, Saim Ayub and Fakhar are out of the tournament now.

Pakistan's updated squad for Champions Trophy 2025: 

Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.