The ICC Champions Trophy is coming back after being away for eight years! Last time, Pakistan won the tournament for the first time ever by defeating India in the final at The Oval. Since then, things have changed for Pakistan. The only players still on the team are Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam.
Fakhar, who returned to the team last October after some issues with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), is playing really well. He will be important for the team, especially since Saim Ayub, an in-form opener, got injured and will not be playing. This has raised questions about whether Babar will open the batting for the Champions Trophy.
In the middle order, Pakistan will rely on captain Mohammad Rizwan, who recently scored 122 runs against South Africa. He will be joined by another strong player, Salman Ali Agha. Together, they made a record partnership in that same match. The team needs to decide how to speed up the run-making during crucial moments.
Pakistan’s biggest worry, however, is their bowling. The fast bowlers, led by Shaheen Afridi, only took 10 wickets during the recent tri-series at home, which is lower than expected. They also lack a good spinner, with Abrar Ahmed being their only option besides part-timers Khushdil Shah and Salman.
Here’s how Pakistan has performed lately: since the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they didn’t reach the semifinals, they have won 8 out of 12 matches. They recently beat Australia 2-1 and swept South Africa 2-0, which shows their potential. But they lost 2 out of 3 matches in the tri-series against New Zealand, showing they need to be more consistent.
Pakistan’s Champions Trophy Group Matches:
– vs New Zealand, February 19, Karachi
– vs India, February 23, Dubai
– vs Bangladesh, February 27, Rawalpindi
Pakistan’s Best XI:
1. Fakhar Zaman
2. Babar Azam
3. Saud Shakeel
4. Mohammad Rizwan (Captain & Wicketkeeper)
5. Salman Ali Agha
6. Tayyab Tahir
7. Khushdil Shah
8. Shaheen Afridi
9. Naseem Shah
10. Haris Rauf
11. Abrar Ahmed
Pakistan’s Full Squad:
– Mohammad Rizwan (c)
– Babar Azam
– Fakhar Zaman
– Kamran Ghulam
– Saud Shakeel
– Tayyab Tahir
– Faheem Ashraf
– Khushdil Shah
– Salman Ali Agha
– Usman Khan
– Abrar Ahmed
– Haris Rauf
– Mohammad Hasnain
– Naseem Shah
– Shaheen Shah Afridi
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