PAK vs BAN: Pakistan’s quest in the 2025 Champions Trophy was concluded in a state of total dismay when their match against Bangladesh was abandoned because of persistent rain in Rawalpindi.
The weather conditions resulted in the match being abandoned before the toss was even completed, Pakistan’s entire quest in the tournament remaining winless. The result saw Pakistan lose in their group and their performance during the tournament failed to evoke even a glimmer of hope or trust.
Defending Champions, But No Victories
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The start of the tournament saw Pakistan arrive as the defending Champions Trophy champions. They had the bonus of hosting the tournament as well.
There was a sense of hope, particularly with the new captaincy, which many expected would usher in a new era and change the fortunes of the team. But the performance of the team soon became disastrous.
Pakistan’s destiny in the tournament was decided within the first six days when they lost two games consecutively. Their initial game against New Zealand was lost by a heavy margin of 60 runs, and their second game against India was lost by 6 wickets. In both matches, Pakistan’s performance was below par, and they were not able to play against their opponents efficiently.
With the cancellation of the Bangladesh match, Pakistan’s Champions Trophy 2025 campaign ended without a single win. This also left the team at the bottom of the points table in their group, further emphasizing the depth of their woes.
Pakistan’s Catastrophic Performance: Batting and Bowling Disasters
The failure to win the tournament lies in failure at both the batting and bowling units. New Zealand was let in for a humongous 320 runs by Pakistan’s bowlers, setting the team with a big mountain to climb. In the batting department, the opening combination couldn’t pick up where it had left off, and the team could score just 22 runs from the initial 10 overs, turning the tough chase into an even tougher one.
During the India match, with a suitable pitch for batting, Pakistan’s top-order batsmen did not take advantage of the conditions. After 10 overs, only 52 runs were scored by the team, losing 2 wickets. During the middle overs, there were no falls, but the run rate was still too low, with Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel contributing a total of 77 runs.
This timid strategy and inability to speed up in both encounters left the side stranded and unable to initiate any meaningful resistance.
A Team in Free Fall: From Champions to Sinking Ship
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Pakistan’s failure in the 2025 Champions Trophy is an extension of an alarming trend by the team after their incredible success in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy when they beat India to claim the trophy.
Since then, Pakistan has not been able to cut in ICC tournaments. In three ICC ODI tournaments, Pakistan has not crossed the semi-finals stage.
They made the final of the 2022 T20 World Cup, but that was an exception rather than a rule. In 2024, they were knocked out in the preliminary round of the T20 World Cup, an abysmal performance that witnessed them losing inexplicably to a Super Over to a country like America.
Following this performance, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided to implement a change of captaincy to see if things would change. The team, though, showed no change even with the alteration in leadership.
The same issues still haunted them, whether it was their inability to run down targets, their sluggish approach to batting, or their inconsistency with the ball. This has made the team and their fans wonder what the future of Pakistan cricket is.
Looking Ahead: A Long Road Ahead for Pakistan
With Pakistan’s withdrawal from the 2025 Champions Trophy now made official, the team is now left to dwell on their mediocre performances. So, what comes next for Pakistani cricket? The team has come out with displays of brilliance from time to time but has time and again lost steam in sticking to that particular standard throughout tournaments.
Despite leadership and strategy changes, the performance of the team continues to stagnate, and their underperformance in major international competitions is becoming harder to overlook. Pakistan must re-evaluate its strategy, address its vulnerabilities, and reconstruct the team to be able to compete successfully in future ICC tournaments.
A Team in Crisis
Pakistan’s failure to win a single match in the 2025 Champions Trophy, combined with their recent poor performances in other international competitions, is a concerning sign for the future of Pakistani cricket. The defending champions’ campaign in the tournament came to an end with only one point, last in their group with a net run rate of -1.087.
Pakistan must make drastic alterations if they are to get back to the competitive stage they were once on. Without resolving the problems at both ends of the game, the future of Pakistan cricket does not look bright. The team’s performance has not only affected their tournament performances but has also disillusioned fans with the state of affairs.
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