Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed believes that Mohammed Rizwan-led side has a “good chance” of defending their ICC Champions Trophy title in front of home fans. Under Sarfaraz’s leadership, Pakistan defeated India by 180 runs in the Champions Trophy final in 2017 at The Oval to lift the title for the first time. The veteran wicketkeeper-batter added that players from the title-winning side including Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman will be a key factor in their journey in the eight-team competition.

“Pakistan have a really good chance of defending that title and I think they have a strong team. Some of the boys from 2017 are still there and we’re talking about some of the best – especially Babar Azam,” ICC quoted Sarfaraz as saying.

“He is a different Babar to the one that played in 2017, a more mature player and a dominant player in the game. His batting will be so important for Pakistan and so will Fakhar Zaman’s.

With the ball, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf are brilliant bowlers and are playing well. The captain, Mohammad Rizwan, is also a wicketkeeper-batter, which worked pretty well for me back in 2017,” he added.

Sarfaraz also admitted that Pakistan will have the added pressure of performing well against home fans.

“There will be pressure. Pakistan being at home, being the defending champions, there will be high expectations, but the fans will get behind them.

“It is a stacked field, of course, every team can win it. I think Afghanistan have a really strong team, Australia and India as well. Their spin options are so good and you will need that to succeed in these conditions,” the former Pakistan captain said.

Sarfaraz picked Pakistan, India, Australia and Afghanistan as his favourites for the semi-finals.

“If I had to pick four semi-finalists, I’d probably go for Pakistan, India, Australia and Afghanistan at this stage, but I would not rule anyone out,” he said.

The 37-year-old also shared his thoughts on the much-anticipated clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in Dubai on February 23 and called it a special occasion.

“Of the pool matches, everyone will be talking about Pakistan’s match against India, and the game will be huge.

“Whenever we meet, it is a special occasion and there is so much hype and pressure around it. But as players, you need to stay calm, try and block that noise out and just play with the same intensity as you would play Australia or any other team,” Sarfaraz said.

Pakistan will begin their campaign against New Zealand in the tournament opener at National Stadium in Karachi on February 19.

Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who secured the ICC Champions Trophy for his country in the 2017 edition, recalled how the Men in Green regrouped with the help of seniors after a shock start to their campaign eight years back and the message that was communicated to the group ahead of the high-profile final against arch-rivals India. Pakistan delivered India one of its biggest cricketing jolts when they defeated the Men in Blue in the title clash at The Oval in 2017 by a thumping margin of 180 runs while defending 339 runs. This was Pakistan’s third major title in white-ball cricket, after the 50-over World Cup triumph in 1992 and the T20 World Cup win in 2009.

Unlike in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup or the Men’s T20 World Cup, where India has a significant advantage over Pakistan, the Men in Green have a 3-2 advantage against the latter in the Champions Trophy.

However, their 2017 campaign got off to a shocking start when they lost to a strong India side by 124 runs. Rohit Sharma (91), Shikhar Dhawan (68), and Virat Kohli (81) starred with the willow before the bowling attack finished the job.

Sarfaraz recalled how the side regrouped under the guidance of senior players like Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez, something he feels that the present Pakistan side will need too.

“Afterwards (following defeat to India in the group stage), we had a great team meeting, and some of our senior guys – Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez – all said their piece. You need those types of characters around you. We changed our mindset from that day. The acrimony was very good for us, we made a couple of changes to the team and it helped our confidence,” said the former captain as quoted by ICC.

Pakistan turned it around after the loss to India, beating South Africa, Sri Lanka, and England on the way to the Finals.

While the addition of Fakhar Zaman, who debuted in the group stage game against South Africa, added solidity and firepower to the top, the likes of Junaid Khan and Rumman Raees gave Pakistan control and wickets with the new ball as they showed in the semi-final against England, which Pakistan won by eight wickets.

“We played England in the semi-finals and our bowlers were just superb,” Sarfaraz said. “Then, it was India in the final. I was just confident our level was very high and my message to the players ahead of the final was to relax.”

Pakistan had a dream day against their neighbouring rivals in the final, wherein Fakhar Zaman scored a brilliant century to guide them to a commanding total, before Mohammad Amir ran through the Indian top-order and set their historic win.

“We knew we had beaten some of the best teams, so India was nothing we had not seen,” Sarfaraz discussed the team’s mindset ahead of the contest.

“I told the guys to relax, forget the result and just give 100 per cent.”

“The rest is history. When the last wicket went down and we won, it is impossible to describe that feeling in words. When I took the last catch, I was at the gully. And I just ran. I saw Shoaib Malik and ran into his arms, I jumped into him and hugged him. The whole team then joined in. It was indescribable,” he concluded.

Pakistan begin their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against New Zealand on 19 February in Karachi and face-off against India on 23 February in Dubai.

The eight teams are divided into two groups for the tournament’s opening stage. Each team will play three group-stage matches, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi-finals.

Group A features Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and New Zealand, while Group B includes Afghanistan, England, Australia, and South Africa.

Pakistan squad for Champions Trophy: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Pakistan fixtures for Champions Trophy: Against New Zealand (February 19 at Karachi), India (February 23 at Dubai and Bangladesh (February 27 at Rawalpindi).

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has backed its decision to drop the star quartet, batter Babar Azam, former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, and star pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah from the squad for the remaining two Tests against England. On Sunday, the world of cricket was taken by surprise after Pakistan announced its decision to bring in youngsters in place of the established stars after enduring a historic defeat by an innings and 47 runs in the series opener.

The PCB stated that the decision to axe players from the squad has been made in the best interest of Pakistan’s cricket, Geo News reported, citing The News.

A PCB spokesperson backed the board’s decision by stating that the players were “spared from the team to give them rest so that they can come back afresh”.

The decision came after the PCB announced the decision of reconstituting the men’s selection committee. Aleem Dar, Aaqib Javed, Azhar Ali and Hassan Cheema were appointed as the new members of the selection committee.

The experienced quartet have been replaced by Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, fast bowler Mohammad Ali, off-spinner Sajid Khan and uncapped Kamran Ghulam.

Spinners Noman Ali and Zahid Mehmood were initially part of the 16-player squad for the opening Test. However, they were released from the squad after Pakistan announced the playing XI for the opening Test.

The PCB spokesperson further elaborated on the decision and stated that it was a challenging task for the selection committee to pick up the squad while carefully considering the current form of the players.

“The PCB believes that each of Haseebullah, Mehran, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Ali, Noman, Sajid and Zahid have the ability to rise to the occasion and serve the team in the remaining two Tests,” he added while underscoring the PCB’s focus on developing the next generation of our Test players too and this series was a good chance to induct young blood.

Pakistan will be led by Shan Masood in the second Test, which will get underway in Multan on Tuesday.

Pakistan squad for two Tests against England: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah (wicket-keeper), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha and Zahid Mehmood.

File photo of Babar Azam© Twitter

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed five former stalwarts of Pakistan cricket to mentor their domestic and international cricketers, in preparation for the 2025 Champions Trophy. The Champions One-Day Cup will be held in Pakistan between five domestic teams, with the intention of featuring not only the best domestic performers in Pakistan but also senior team players who are centrally contracted. In light of this, the PCB has named Waqar Younis, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Saqlain Mushtaq as mentors for the teams during the Champions One-Day Cup.

Following a loss to Bangladesh in the first Test – their first-ever Test defeat to them – the PCB seems to be in no mood to take preparations for the 2025 Champions Trophy lightly, even more so as it is being held on home soil.

“These five mentors will play a pivotal role in the development and progression of our emerging cricketers. They will guide strategic planning and team-building processes, while also providing support in leadership and personal development,” said PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, in a press release.

The Champions One-Day Cup will start on September 12, just over a week after the end of Pakistan’s two-match Test series against Bangladesh. It will be held at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, which will see a return of One-Day cricket after more than two years.

Naqvi reiterated that the five mentors had been selected after a robust recruitment process, with the aim of reducing the quality gap between domestic and international cricketers.

“These individuals bring a wealth of cricketing experience, knowledge and expertise, which, combined with their passion for the game we all love, will help the Pakistan Cricket Board identify, develop and nurture the next generation of cricketers across all formats,” Naqvi emphasised.

The five share more than 32,000 runs and 1,500 wickets between them across all forms of international cricket.

File image of Waqar Younis© AFP