On Sunday, February 23, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Pakistan lost to India by six wickets in Match 5 of the ongoing Champions Trophy. After choosing to bat first, the hosts of the prestigious ODI event were swept out for a pitiful 241. On the other hand, they were only able to take four of India’s wickets, as the latter easily won.
Shoaib Akhtar, a former cricket player from Pakistan, was one of the first well-known former players to analyse the sport.
According to Akhtar, he had anticipated a similar outcome to what ultimately transpired because of the think tank’s poor strategic judgement and the players’ incapacity to compete on an equal footing with the competition.
It seems like I must be disappointed, according to everyone. Since I understood what would happen, I’m not at bit disappointed. India is using six bowlers, and you aren’t even selecting five. You don’t even put five bowlers together. I’m not sure what you’re thinking when you choose all-rounders. “They just have a stupid, uninformed management,” Akhtar wrote on his official X account.
I’m not disappointed at all. pic.twitter.com/Hmc38V03KJ
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) February 23, 2025
I’m quite dissatisfied. Even so, what do we say about the children? The management is no different than the children. Not even the players are aware of their expectations. They are unaware of their skill set, which is another factor, he continued.
They lack any set of skills. Players like Rohit, Virat, and Shubman would be used as uppish shots. I’m really disappointed. Neither the management nor the team are aware. All they have done is travel to play. Nobody is certain what to do. “Really disappointed once more,” the Rawalpindi Express decided.
The most recent disaster has cost Pakistan both of its Champions Trophy 2025 matches to date. Now, in order to have any chance of advancing to the knockout stages, they will need to not only defeat Bangladesh handily in their final group-stage match but also pray for other favourable outcomes.
India
