'If he doesn't perform, he will say I was forcefully made to open'- Basit Ali on Babar Azam opening in Champions Trophy 2025

The Champions Trophy is just 16 days away and there is a lot of talk going around the Pakistan Champions Trophy squad as announced a few days ago they were also one of the last teams to announce their team for the tournament that is set to begin on the 19th of February. 

There have been a lot of talks about the players who have been picked for the upcoming event in which the team will go in as the defending champions. One of the biggest debates is behind who would become the opening partner with Fakhar Zaman. One of the choices could be Pakistan’s star batter, Babar Azam.

One of the experts who has shared his opinion on Babar Azam opening the batting in the tournament is former Pakistan player Basit Ali who has given a strange statement on the number one ODI batter mentioning that he will not be under pressure and also predicted what his statements could be depending on his performance while opening the batting. 

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“Babar's place in the team will remain unaffected, irrespective of his performance in the Champions Trophy. I hope Babar performs. If he performs, he will say I played for Pakistan. If he doesn't perform, he will say I was forcefully made to open,” said Basit on his YouTube channel. 

Speaking of Babar Azam’s performance as an opener he might have a phenomenal record in ODI cricket where he has scored 5957 runs in 123 matches at an average of 56.73 but has only opened twice in the 50-over format where he has averaged only 13 with a highest score of 22. 

Pakistan Champions Trophy 2025 squad: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Khushdil Shah, Salman Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah.