The Pakistan men's cricket team lost their first two games in the ICC Champions Trophy (CT 2025), crashing out of the tournament they are hosting. This was the first ICC event Pakistan hosted since the 1996 World Cup.
Pakistan lost to New Zealand in the tournament opening match on February 19 and then lost to arch-rivals India in Dubai on February 23. When New Zealand defeated Bangladesh in the recent CT 2025 match, it resulted in the elimination of both Pakistan and Bangladesh from the tournament.
Former Pakistan women's captain Sana Mir believes that the situation of cricket in her nation is such that even a talisman like Mahendra Singh Dhoni cannot turn the team's fortunes around.
“I was watching the match when I got a message from a friend that India are 100 for 2 ‘I think it’s over’. So, I said the match was over when the squad was announced. The 15 that have been selected (in the Champions Trophy squad), even if you make MS Dhoni or (former Pakistan skipper) Younis Khan captain, nobody can do anything to the team because it has not been selected based on the playing conditions,” Sana Mir stated on ‘Game On Hai’ program.
Mir, who has played for Pakistan's women's side in over 300 white-ball games, primarily as a right-arm spinner, believes Pakistan made a mistake by not selecting the team based on the conditions.
“Half the tournament we had lost when we announced the 15-member squad, and I am saying this from day one. They (selectors) knew that Pakistan had to play at least one match in Dubai, so how did you bring two part-time spinners.
Abrar (Ahmed), who is still new in ODI cricket… in the last five months, they have taken two wickets conceding 165 runs. The selectors removed key players who played in the last two series against Australia and South Africa. Irfan (Khan) Niazi was a good fielder, showed good power-hitting (in the T20I and ODI series against South Africa)… so, we lost the tournament when we announced the squad," said Mir.
Pakistan has one more match, against Bangladesh that they will play on February 27.
