Pakistan’s Chances in the Champions Trophy 2025

DR Cricket wonders whether not having enough specialist spinners would come to haunt the selectors of the Pakistan Cricket Team in the Champions Trophy.

Aqib Javed, the de facto chief selector and the head coach of Pakistan’s men’s cricket team, both for the red and white balls, has great faith in the adage “Horses for courses” – a strategy resting on the principle that the playing conditions should determine the choice of resources. Hence an overwhelmingly spin attack on the parched, turning tracks of Multan and a four-prong seam attack on juicer pitches of South Africa. It worked remarkably well in the home series and nearly got the desired result in South Africa.

However, the choice of steed for the courses prepared for the impending Champions Trophy, an elite ICC ODI tournament to which Pakistan will play host this spring, has left much to be desired. One suspects that the all-powerful former Pakistani speedster has made a compromise or, perhaps, two. The all-rounders, Khushdil Shah and Faheem Ashraf have surprisingly found their way into the squad. Out of nowhere, they have been preferred over Amir Jamal, Abbas Afridi, and Jahandad Khan, three enterprising cricketers who have been part of the white ball squads in the most recent past and, apparently, the preparations for the Champions Trophy. All three are skillful limited-overs bowlers who are also capable batters.

On the other hand, Fahim’s seam bowling has waned over the years while Khushdil is unlikely to bowl his complete quota of ten overs in a match. Both will need a helping hand from Salman Ali Agha who has taken to white ball cricket like a duckling to water, be it bowling, batting, or snatching blinders in the field. Moreover, Faheem and Khushdil have hardly any batting laurels to rest upon in the longer white-ball format. It is also cruel to Khushdil Shah who is bound to be under immense pressure. The jeers, emanating from the viewing stands, when he got out on his last international outing in his previous stint must still be fresh in his mind. He should have been given more time to work on his batting by playing in the domestic tournaments.

Speaking to the press after the loss to New Zealand in the tri-nation ODI series final Aqib assured that his charges have all it takes to win the Champions Trophy. “This team will do great in the Champions Trophy. If this team bats normally till number eight you can score 350. If Haris Rauf gets fit and gets in form with Naseem and Shaheen along with our spinners. This lineup has everything it needs to defeat any team,” he said. Too many “ifs” in the statement, one would say.

The selectors have chosen badly. There should have been another opener in the side after Saim Ayub was ruled out of the Champions Trophy. Imam has done enough over the years to merit a selection (Batting average of 48 in 72 ODIs). A strike rate of 83 isn’t rapid but not too slow either, if we look at some of the top-order batters in world cricket. Marnus Labuschagne is a case in study. He bats around the same pace but lends stability at the top. Who can forget his partnership with Travis Head in the World Cup final? The 50-over format is such a beautiful blend of the longest and the shortest formats of cricket. There are periods when you need to attack and there are periods when you just have to hold the fort and weather the storm. The likes of Imam will always be relevant to an ODI.

Then, Aqib and his knights of the Round Table unfathomably went into a Sub Continental tournament with only one specialist spinner, Abrar. What of the Muqeems and Mirs who can twirl their wrists, left or right? This one error, though one hopes not, is most likely to bite the selectors in the backside.
We have already talked of the all-rounders, but one would like to add that it is cruel, to say the least, not having Amir Jamal among the ranks. Amir is the closest we have to a genuine all-rounder. It’s he who should be donning the green jersey and not some part-timers who are neither here nor there.

Pakistan’s Squad for the Champions trophy 2025

Mohammad Rizwan (captain & wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan.