On Wednesday, February 19, the exciting ICC (International Cricket Council) 50-over Champions Trophy 2025 got underway.
The hosts played New Zealand (NZ) in the first game. However, Pakistan’s (PAK) campaign got started to a bad start as they lost to the Black Caps in Karachi by 60 runs.
Notably, after the two terrible losses in the tri-series event, this was their third straight loss to the dark horses in as many weeks. The defeat revealed a serious flaw in Pakistan’s batting strategy, which caused anxiety before their eagerly awaited match against India.
The Green Shirts never appeared to be in charge while pursuing a strict 321-run aim. Under pressure, their top order fell apart, with Saud Shakeel hammering for 6 off 19 deliveries and captain Mohammad Rizwan making just 3 off 14 balls. At number 4, Fakhar Zaman, who came back from an injury scare, failed to add intensity (24 off 41 balls) throughout his effort, while star batsman Babar Azam’s 64 off 90 lacked the necessary intent. The match was already out of the lower order’s grasp before they could attempt to hit the target.
As a result, the loss drew harsh criticism from both fans and former players. Wasim Akram, Pakistan’s former great bowler, however, defended the team and refuted claims of unfair selection practices. Akram made it very evident that the current generation of players is the best in the nation and that no reference works at the highest level during a performance that also included Cheteshwar Pujara and Nikhil Chopra.
“I can be brutally honest if that’s what you want. “These are our kids, don’t criticize them,” is a saying in our culture. These, however, are our greatest players, in my opinion. They would have been chosen if there was a better candidate. Akram stated on the Dressing Room Show on YouTube that “people talk about ‘parchi’ (selection based on reference), but parchi doesn’t work at this level.”
In the Champions Trophy opener, Pakistan’s top pacers were unimpressive.
In the meantime, Pakistan’s bowling unit had a pretty unmemorable day. Haris Rauf, the top pacer, gave up 83 runs in 10 overs. Additionally, their reliance on part-time spinners backfired as the hosts were overwhelmed by Will Young’s 107 and Tom Latham’s 118* not out.
Shaheen Afridi, the primary strike pacer, was unable to contribute throughout the final overs. Furthermore, Pakistan’s disaster was exacerbated by the initially empty stands in Karachi. In addition to ruining their trip, the defeat heightens the atmosphere before their tense match against India on Sunday, February 23.
India
