Pakistan’s Champions Trophy 2025 title defence was jeopardized after the team suffered back-to-back defeats in their Group A fixtures against New Zealand and arch-rivals India.

On Monday (February 24), the Men in Green were officially knocked out of the semi-final race after New Zealand defeated Bangladesh by five wickets in Rawalpindi.

This outcome has left the Pakistan cricket fraternity dejected, with many calling for a complete overhaul of the team's approach and mindset.

Former skipper Shahid Afridi has also joined the bandwagon, claiming that Pakistan's failure stems from their outdated approach.

"In 2025, Pakistan was playing the cricket style of the 1980s and 1990s while other teams had progressed well to adopt an aggressive and modern style. The ailment of playing too many dot balls also hurt our game," Afridi told AFP.

Pakistan struggled with strike rotation in both defeats, consuming 162 and 152 dot balls against New Zealand and India respectively.

Afridi stressed that Pakistan's players lacked the attacking mindset to excel in modern cricket. "The mindset of Pakistan players does not match modern-day cricket. We need a complete overhaul of the system so that we can produce players with an aggressive approach," he said.

Legendary pacer Waqar Younis also expressed frustration over Pakistan’s outdated approach to modern-day cricket, highlighting the team’s failure to adapt to the evolving dynamics of the game.

“In Pakistan, I think even in the present we are stuck in the 80s theory. It’s the 80s theory to take the game deep, if you need a run rate of 5, stretch it to 8 or 9 and leave it to the others to do it for you. This doesn’t happen anymore. As you say, Wasim bhai (buddy), there is no consistency on any level—chairmanship, selectors, or coaches,” Waqar said while speaking on the Sports Central YouTube channel.

Drawing parallels with other teams, Waqar highlighted how Australia successfully chased 352 against England in their Champions Trophy opener without letting the required run rate escalate.

“In modern-day cricket, it can’t happen that you fall short of the required run rate and then expect to make a comeback. Teams will not allow you to bounce back. You saw Australia chase 350 against England; there was no single instance where Australia’s required rate increased. That is the way to go. Although they lost early wickets they kept pushing, looked positive, looked to attack, and kept searching for runs.”

While Pakistan’s semi-final hopes are over, they still have a group match remaining against Bangladesh, scheduled for February 27 in Rawalpindi.