Pakistan suffered back-to-back defeats in their Champions Trophy 2025 Group A fixtures against New Zealand and India. As a result, the Men in Green put themselves in a tough spot to make it to the semis.
New Zealand’s five-wicket win over Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on Monday (February 24) was the final nail in the coffin as Pakistan were officially knocked out of the semi-final race.
This outcome has sparked strong reactions from the Pakistan cricket fraternity, with many calling for a complete overhaul of the team.
Former Pakistan skipper Imran Khan has also expressed disappointment over the national team’s defeat to India and their embarrassing first-round exit from the Champions Trophy, his sister Aleema Khan said.
After meeting the former Pakistan Prime Minister at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, Aleema revealed that Imran was upset over Mohammad Rizwan-led team’s listless performance against their arch-rivals in Dubai on Sunday (February 23).
"The PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) founder expressed great sadness over losing the match against India," Aleema said, as quoted by PTI news agency, adding that the legendary cricketer watched the match in jail.
Pakistan were outplayed by India in all facets of the game as they succumbed to a six-wicket defeat at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Riding on Virat Kohli’s unbeaten hundred (100 off 111), India chased down the target of 241 with 45 deliveries to spare.
Imran Khan also questioned the capabilities of PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, expressing his disappointment with the current regime's appointments to top positions in cricket administration.
"Imran said cricket will eventually be destroyed when favourites are put in decision-making positions," Aleema added.
Meanwhile, former PCB chief Najam Sethi has accused Imran Khan of triggering the downfall of Pakistan cricket during his tenure as Prime Minister.
Sethi claimed that Imran tampered with the domestic structure, which he believes was a decisive factor in the decline of Pakistan's talent pool.
"The downfall started in 2019 when a new management under a new PM/Patron changed the domestic cricket structure that had served Pakistan reasonably well for decades and replaced it with an ill-suited Australian hybrid model. Political interference continued; contradictory PCB policies became the norm-foreign coaches were hired and sent packing, selectors were whimsically nominated, old discards were recruited to mentor and manage. Finally, player power, clash of captain egos and groupings in the team came to prevail over fumbling managements! The horrible result is before us," Sethi tweeted.
Pakistan will face Bangladesh in their final group match on Thursday (February 27) at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
