Pakistan’s CT early exit! Where does the buck stop?

Cricket has always run deep in the blood of over 240 million people, and this time the nation had hoped that the Green Shirts would defend their title. However, no one could have imagined that the Pakistan team would be knocked out in the group stage of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which Pakistan was hosting after three decades. I guess we were the last generation to have truly experienced the raw charm, unbridled enthusiasm, and electrifying thrill of the Indo-Pak cricket rivalry in front of our terrestrial Colour TV sets.

Apart from the media outcry, as a millennial cricket enthusiast who's had the privilege of witnessing Pakistan's cricket supremacy in the 1990s, I'm left disheartened! Sadly, the thrill has begun to fade, especially after Pakistan's one-sided loss to India in the Champions Trophy group match. Pakistan cricket now faces a daunting journey to reclaim its former glory. Fans are reeling in shock, questioning why Team Pakistan failed to meet expectations.

What circumstances led to their premature exit from the tournament?

Well, it seems the cricket board hasn’t learnt the lessons yet, as it’s evident from the recent announcement of Pakistan’s upcoming tour of New Zealand, where the Green Shirts have scheduled to play a five-T20 and three-ODI series, from March 16. The team announcement, contrary to the “Surgery Preps”, has surprised once again, with the same “Stars” being included in the squad, and no one has even bothered to address the criticism.

Moreover, Muhammad Rizwan has been retained as captain – the one who failed to get Pakistan through to the semi-finals! Instead, he should have announced his retirement. The board has retained him as captain, isn’t this making a mockery of ourselves? Look at Australia’s captain, Steve Smith, who announced his retirement after the team lost semi-final against India.

The announcement of Salman Agha as captain of the T20 squad has raised eyebrows among millions of cricket enthusiasts nationwide. The question on everyone's mind is: what credentials does he possess to warrant his appointment as captain of the T20 side? It's a decision that defies imagination.

The controversial squad selection

The 15-member squad, hobbling with injured players, has neither bite at the top nor sting at the bottom, leaving Cricket Pakistan grappling with a selection headache that's proving to be a run-chase nightmare! The PCB announced the 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy; It was met with criticism among cricket pundits and fans.

A closer look at the squad surprised everyone with the decision to pair Babar Azam with Fakhar Zaman as an opener, owing to circumstances (as Saim Ayub has already been ruled out due to a knee injury sustained during the Test series against South Africa last year). Although, Fakhar Zaman couldn’t continue in the tournament and got rib injury in the opener match against New Zealand (and now rumors are surrounding he might announce an early retirement) was a big blow to the Green Shirts.

Aqib Javed's coaching blunder

On February 26 last month, Head coach Aqib Javed addressed a press conference and said: “Losing doesn't mean that we change the entire team and bring in the Under-19 team.” It would be better for the head coach to resign from his position and go home. He further said, “Besides Babar, what other option do we have?” Well, Mr. Head Coach Aqib Javed, you have committed an injustice with Babar Azam by forcing him to open, and Babar Azam is a number three batsman.

Let's take a look at his average in the last five matches; he wasn't scoring runs, and he himself feels the heat during the campaign.

Babar Azam has scored only 88 runs in the last five innings of ODI matches at an average of 17.60 before CT 2025. Babar Azam's batting is supported by the number three position, where he has scored over 5,000 runs at an average of 60.18. If Babar Azam has scored over 5,000 runs at the number three position in the past, then in this context, Head Coach Aqib Javed's decision that Babar Azam will open and score a 'big score' in the Champions Trophy was nothing but a fantasy! 

The players who came out of the blue

Faheem Ashraf last played an ODI match in the Asia Cup on September 11, 2023, against Sri Lanka, where Pakistan suffered a heavy defeat. Meanwhile, Khushdil Shah's last match was on October 7, 2023, and he had been working towards a comeback to the team ever since.

As for Usman Khan, before the start of the CT, he had not been able to debut his ODI career for Pakistan and has only played 18 T20I matches, scoring 232 runs at an average of 15.46. The question arises; can players be included in the ODI squad solely based on their performance in league matches? With only a day left before teams could make changes to their squads, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi had hinted at tweaks to the Pakistan squad.

But, surprisingly after a one-hour meeting, the selection committee and captain Rizwan emerged with a consensus to stick with the original squad, a decision that ultimately proved to be a costly mistake, leaving Pakistan's tournament hopes dead in the water. 

Dismissal stats paint a picture

Pakistan has hosted an ICC tournament after three decades, but unfortunately, team Pakistan only got the chance to play once in front of their crowds, in the opener match against New Zealand, where, The Kiwis, posted a mammoth total of 320 runs in 50 overs, which proved too steep for Pakistan, as they were bowled out for 260 runs. 

Then, in the second game against India, that was played in Dubai, owning to the Hybrid model of the tournament, where team India wrapped the match up in a one-sided game, in the 42nd over and winning by 6 wickets against a total of 241. This defeat knocked Pakistan out of the tournament. The showers at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium during the final group match against Bangladesh had a devastating impact, drenching the ground and drowning the Green Shirts' campaign, bringing their tournament journey to an abrupt end.

The decision-making process is flawed and needs to be changed forever. The chairman Mohsin Naqvi may have built new-age cricket grounds, but the hard reality is: he fell short in selecting a team capable of defending its title. With PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi at the helm of affairs of the cricket in Pakistan, time has come to revamp the cricket in the country; we now can no longer afford to be struck in the late 90’s.

Look at India, for instance. Having undergone significant transformation, they now stand as a formidable force in international cricket. The impressive performance of Team India speaks volumes about their modern approach to the game. Today, the game of cricket has evolved so the players are, but why our cricketers not ready to adopt this contemporary brand of fearless cricket? It's high time for the PCB to undertake some introspection.

By Arslan Syed