Every day, we are getting closer to the exciting Champions Trophy, which will start on February 19th. While seven teams have already announced their squads, the PCB has not yet revealed Pakistan’s team for the big event. Let’s take a look at Pakistan’s likely squad for the ICC tournament.
Fakhar Zaman
Pakistan’s explosive opener Fakhar Zaman is likely to return to the Pakistan team after missing the tour of Australia and South Africa. Zaman played 4 matches in the last edition of The Champions Trophy where he scored 252 runs with an average of 63. He smashed a ton against arch-rivals India in the final of the Champions Trophy 2017.
In the ODI World Cup 2023, Zaman showed his clean hitting in the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru where Pakistan was chasing a massive target of 402 runs. In a rain-affected match, the explosive batting of the opener led Pakistan to victory by 21 runs (DLS method).
Abdullah Shafique
Shafique might get a chance in the upcoming Tri-series against South Africa and New Zealand to prove his importance in the Pakistani batting lineup.
Babar Azam
Pakistani star batter Babar Azam will lead the batting lineup of Men in Green, Azam is currently at the top of the ICC Men’s ODI batting ranking. The former captain, who was going through a rough patch is slowly regaining his form.
Babar has scored 5957 runs in 120 ODI innings with an average of 56.73, with 19 tons and 34 50s. He is set to break the record of the fastest 6000 runs in the ODIs.
Mohammad Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan will lead the Pakistan side in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, Rizwan was recently appointed the new captain of Pakistan for the white ball formats.
His first assignment was the ODI series against Australia in their backyard, where Rizwan led Pakistan secured the series victory after 22 years. Pakistan also whitewashed South Africa in South Africa and became the first team to achieve this feat. Rizwan will look to defend the title.
Kamran Ghulam
Kamran Ghulam who smashed a ton on the test debut against England will likely feature in the squad for the upcoming mega event.
He was also the part of ODI and Test squads of Pakistan in the recent tour of Australia and South Africa. He has shown his attacking ability in the past.
Salman Ali Agha
Salman Ali Agha, who has been acting as Rizwan’s assistant, is expected to bat at No. 5 and add extra balance to the team. His skills as an all-rounder could be important, especially during the middle overs.
Lahore-born all-rounder has scored 696 runs in 23 ODI innings with an average of 40.9, he also picked 15 wickets in his ODI career with best figures of 4/32.
Shadab Khan
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) may include another spin all-rounder in the team as the conditions will be spin-friendly in the Champions Trophy 2025. Shadab has not played recently any international game however he is active on the domestic level.
The wrist-spinner was sidelined due to his bad form but his inclusion in the squad will bring the balance in the Pakistan squad. He was also the part of winning squad of the Champions Trophy 2017.
Saud Shakeel
Pakistan’s middle-order batsman Saud Shakeel might be included in the squad for the Champions Trophy, as the event is set to place in Pakistan and Dubai where the tracks are known for spin.
Saud is known for playing spin well and his innings-building ability will help Pakistan as he can also attack according to the situation.
Usman Khan
Usman Khan who also played international cricket for UAE, might be included in the squad as the backup keeper. The right-hander has an impressive PSL record where he scored 747 runs in 17 innings with an average of 53.35.
He also scored three tons in PSL followed by three 50+ scores.
Aamir Jamal
Pakistan may include another all-rounder to add depth to the batting lineup. Aamir is the right-arm pacer and he can bat down the order.
He has shown his attacking approach with the bat on the Australian tour in 2023 where he scored 82 off 97 in the third test.
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi will lead the pace department of Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2025. He is known for picking wickets in the first over of the match with his ability to swing the ball back into the right-hander.
Afridi made his ODI debut in 2018 and picked 119 wickets in 59 ODI matches with best bowling figures of 6/35.
Naseem Shah
The young Pakistani pacer Naseem Shah will be the key bowler for the defending champions, his ability to swing the ball both ways will help Pakistan to dominate the batting lineup of the opposite team.
His ability to change the pacer and yorkers makes him helpful in the deathovers. He picked 42 wickets in his 20 ODI matches with best figures of 5/33.
Haris Rauf
Haris Rauf who is known for his raw pace will likely participate in the Champions Trophy 2025, Rauf didn’t perform well in the last ODI World Cup 2023 but made a comeback against Australia in the recent tour.
He picked 10 wickets in three ODIs with best figures of 5/29 in Adelaide.
Muhammad Hasnain
Pakistani young pacer Muhammad Hasnain may join the pace attack of Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025, he is one of the fast bowlers of Pakistan that can click 150kmp/h.
Hasnain has picked 17 wickets in 14 ODI matches with best figures of 5/26.
Abrar Ahmed
The premium spinner of Pakistan Abrar Ahmed will provide the service of wrist bowling for Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2025. Abrar has only played 4 ODI matches and claimed 10 wickets with best bowling figures of 4/33.
He also picked a 4-wicket haul against West Indies in the first test in Multan.
Pakistan will kick off the Champions Trophy 2025 on 19th February against New Zealand in the National Stadium Karachi.
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Jasir Basharat is a cricket enthusiast capturing the heart of the game through insightful analysis and storytelling sharing his passion for the sport through engaging narratives. He is a business graduate from University of Kashmir.
