Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has included their left-handed opening batter, Fakhar Zaman, in their Champions Trophy 2025 squad, scheduled for February 19. The southpaw returns to the national side since his final encounter against England in Kolkata during the 2023 ODI World Cup. Faheem Ashraf has also returned after nearly two years.
Pakistan will face New Zealand and South Africa in the home tri-series to build up the Champions Trophy, as Khusdil Shah and Saud Shakeel have also been included. The selectors’ biggest reason for the delayed squad announcement was the fitness status of their left-handed opener, Saim Ayub.
A few days ago, the PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, confirmed that Ayub’s return would take at least four weeks. Abdullah Shafique’s loss of form has cost him a place in the squad. He failed to open his account during the recent three-match ODI series against South Africa, having been dismissed for a duck in all the face-offs.
Faheem Ashraf returns for Pakistan in Champions Trophy 2025; No place for Shadab Khan
Pakistan is considering a new opening partnership, with Fakhar likely to pair up with either Babar or Saud Shakeel. Babar opened twice in ODIs to collect just 26 runs at an average of 13 and a strike rate of 72.22.
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“Fakhar’s opening partner could be either Babar Azam or Saud Shakeel, depending on various factors such as conditions, opposition, and match strategy. Both players are highly capable at the top of the order, with Babar being particularly seasoned in the role, regularly opening in T20Is and also excelling in the Cape Town Test by scoring two half-centuries in Saim Ayub’s absence.” Asad Shafiq, a member of PCB’s selection panel, expressed in a statement.
Pakistan has also retained the pace-heavy trio that brought so much success for them in the format towards the end of last year. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Mohammad Hasnain are all part of the 15 players, with only one specialist spinner Abrar Ahmed being selected. Neither Sufiyan Muqeem, who enjoyed four wickets on debut in only one ODI nor Shadab Khan, who captained his side in the domestic 50-over tournament in September.
“One of the standout qualities of this side is its flexibility – an essential trait in today’s modern-day cricket. We are confident that this squad strikes the right balance between youth and experience, and has all bases covered. Each player has been chosen with a clear role in mind, ensuring the captain has versatile options at his disposal.” Shafiq explained.
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Irfan Khan, who was eyed by the selection committee for being a stable batter in the middle order, has been dropped out. Faheem’s return comes after his limited ODI cricket. He has been such a surprising call, but his recent figures of 3/15 and 5/7 in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) perhaps pushed the selectors to go for a different choice.
Pakistan will start their campaign against New Zealand on the tournament’s opening day at the National Stadium in Karachi. They will fly to the Dubai International Stadium in the United Arab Emirates for the mouth-watering clash against India. The Mohammad Rizwan-led side will end the group-stage campaign against Bangladesh at Rawalpindi on February 27.
Pakistan Squad For Champions Trophy 2025
Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wk), Khusdil Shah, Salman Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah